castrato
noun
a male singer, especially in the 18th century, castrated before puberty to prevent his soprano or contralto voice range from changing.
castrati
-
pluralof castrato.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Countertenors, long seen as rough facsimiles of the castrati, have witnessed a resurgence since the 1950s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
It will be adapted from Anne Rice's 1982 novel, which is set in the 18th Century world of the "castrati" - male singing stars who were castrated to preserve their high voices.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2025
In their heyday, Handel’s operas almost always involved castrati, singers who were castrated as boys to preserve their higher voices but still gained the full lung capacity and overall stamina of grown men.
From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
She has excelled in Baroque roles that veered from the mainstream, releasing recordings devoted to 19th century soprano Maria Malibran, castrati and composers Antonio Salieri and Agostino Steffani.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 7, 2023
The biggest stars of the day, paid outrageous fees and treated like royalty, were castrati.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
