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View synonyms for forte

forte

1

[ fawrt, fohrt fawr-tey ]

noun

  1. a person's strong suit, or most highly developed characteristic, talent, or skill; something that one excels in:

    I don't know what her forte is, but it's not music.

    Synonyms: bent, knack, proficiency, specialty, strong suit, excellence, skill, talent, strength

  2. the stronger part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt ( foible ).


forte

2

[ fawr-tey; Italian fawr-te ]

adjective

  1. (a direction in a musical score or part) loud; with force ( piano ).

adverb

  1. (a direction in a musical score or part) loudly.

noun

  1. a passage that is loud and played with force or is marked to be so. : f

forte

1

/ ˈfɔːteɪ; fɔːt /

noun

  1. something at which a person excels; strong point

    cooking is my forte

  2. fencing the stronger section of a sword blade, between the hilt and the middle Compare foible
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


forte

2

/ ˈfɔːtɪ /

adjective

  1. loud or loudly f
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a loud passage in music
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

forte

  1. A musical direction meaning “to be performed loudly”; the opposite of piano .


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Pronunciation Note

In the sense of a person's strong suit ( He draws well, but sculpture is his real forte ), the older and historical pronunciation of forte is the one-syllable [fawrt] or [fohrt], pronounced as the English word fort. The word is derived from the French word fort, meaning “strong.” A two-syllable pronunciation [fawr, -tey] is increasingly heard, especially from younger educated speakers, perhaps owing to confusion with the musical term forte, pronounced in English as [fawr, -tey] and in Italian as [fawr, -te]. Both the one- and two-syllable pronunciations of forte are now considered standard.
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Notes

The common keyboard instrument the pianoforte (“ piano ” for short) got its name because it could play both soft and loud notes.
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Word History and Origins

Origin of forte1

First recorded in 1640–50; earlier fort, from Middle French noun use of adjective fort “strong, powerful”; fort; disyllabic pronunciation by association with forte 2

Origin of forte2

1715–25; < Italian < Latin fortis strong
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Word History and Origins

Origin of forte1

C17: from French fort , from fort (adj) strong, from Latin fortis

Origin of forte2

C18: from Italian, from Latin fortis strong
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Example Sentences

But, taken together with her Netflix teen hit Never Have I Ever, College Girls suggests that coming-of-age stories might be her forte.

From Time

Problem-solving has always been our forte, but we have to be even more creative now as data is taken away, more of our processes are being automated, and we have to expand beyond our own siloes to get things done.

Some people like socializing online, but in-person is my forte.

While he may not fall into a particular comic style, his forte is targeting politicians vis-à-vis pranks, sketches, skits and other forms of comedy.

From Ozy

Large quantities aren’t this model’s forte, but it can froth single drinks in a hurry.

The next morning, guests boarded private jets to Florence for the ceremony at the Forte di Belvedere, rented for a cool $400,000.

Mumford Sons, “Hopeless Wanderer” That one time Jason Bateman, Ed Helms, Will Forte, and Jason Sudeikis had a jam session.

The latest luxury hotel group to cave was Rocco Forte Hotels, which announced last month that in-room Wi-Fi is now free.

If fashion is more your forte, there are even pieces of haute couture and sportswear in the show.

Then, he engages in a full-on make-out session with his former SNL compadre Will Forte, sporting a bushy beard.

An ear accustomed to the fine tone of a good violin will not now tolerate a bad piano-forte.

Et depuis ils allerent cotoyans la terre, en forte que le 21.

She was even allowed, through her friends, to procure a piano-forte, which afforded her many hours of recreation.

This is his great forte, and to hear him speak, sends a thrill through the whole system, and a tremor through the brain.

Mr. Conner taught the piano forte in the best families in the city of Philadelphia—among merchants, bankers, and professional men.

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