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Synonyms

fresco

American  
[fres-koh] / ˈfrɛs koʊ /

noun

plural

frescoes, frescos

  1. Also called buon fresco.  Also called true fresco.  the art or technique of painting on a moist, plaster surface with colors ground up in water or a limewater mixture.

  2. a picture or design so painted.

verb (used with object)

frescoed, frescoing

  1. to paint in fresco.

fresco British  
/ ˈfrɛskəʊ /

noun

  1. a very durable method of wall-painting using watercolours on wet plaster or, less properly, dry plaster ( fresco secco ), with a less durable result

  2. a painting done in this way

"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
fresco Cultural  

  1. A painting on wet plaster. When the plaster dries, the painting is bonded to the wall. Fresco was a popular method for painting large murals during the Renaissance. The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci, is a fresco, as are the paintings by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

Other Word Forms

  • frescoer noun
  • frescoist noun

Etymology

Origin of fresco

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Italian: “cool, fresh,” of Germanic origin; fresh

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.

Go the Capitol rotunda and look up at the dome, where Constantino Brumidi’s fresco The Apotheosis of Washington, painted during the Civil War, shows Washington in heaven, flanked by goddesses.

From Slate • Feb. 16, 2026

The face of an angel on a restored church fresco in Rome that sparked outrage because of its likeness to Italy's prime minister, has been crudely scrubbed out by the artist who painted it.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

"Well, it really was Meloni but in the same style of the fresco that was there before," he told La Repubblica.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

Von Stuck delights in contrasts: On the “Orpheus wall,” he enthrones the mythical lyre-player above tamed animals in an architectural fresco based on Pompeian murals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

It is only in accordance with general principles of human nature that the “bloofer lady” should be the popular rôle at these al fresco performances.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.