noun
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the official language of Italy and one of the official languages of Switzerland: the native language of approximately 60 million people. It belongs to the Romance group of the Indo-European family, and there is a considerable diversity of dialects
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a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Italy, or a descendant of one
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See Italian vermouth
adjective
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of Italian with an initial sound (pronounced like the word eye ) and often with level stress on the first and second syllables: is heard primarily from uneducated speakers. This pronunciation is sometimes facetious or disparaging in purpose and is usually considered offensive.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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Italianesqueadjective
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anti-Italianadjective
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half-Italianadjective
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non-Italianadjective
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pro-Italianadjective
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pseudo-Italianadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Italian
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word Italiānus. See Italy, -an
Compare meaning
How does italian compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
See Examples For:
Fery has been drawn against Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the opening round at Flushing Meadows in New York.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
He will face Italian 22nd seed Luciano Darderi in the first round, while Samuel is up against the Czech Republic's Tomas Machac.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
To impress doubtful sommeliers abroad, Milani challenged them to blind taste tests, and said they often preferred the Chinese wine to French or Italian comparisons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
In 2020 Silver Heights hired Italian wine manager Marco Milani as its new chief executive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
When the news broke, it stopped an actual fistfight among legislators on the floor of the Italian Parliament.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
Bournemouth have also been handed a tie against the Italians, although theirs will be on home soil.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
During the Renaissance, Italians refined fencing into its modern form, and soon fencing schools began popping up all over Europe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
While some Italians say the current heat is "not a new phenomenon" given climate change, others from southern Italy have voiced their shock when visiting northern cities and towns.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Seven Italians, two Germans and two Spaniards were killed, along with two crew members, a spokesman for the transport ministry said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
A lot of Slovaks and Italians moved in next.
From "Seedfolks" by Paul Fleischman
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.
