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:
We don’t have a boat or a club membership, and a big night out is the Italian place three miles from home.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Following an extraordinary board meeting Monday, Monte dei Paschi said the premium from Intesa’s bid remains below the average seen in comparable offers in the Italian banking sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The image extends from southern Germany across the Italian peninsula to Sicily and the southern Mediterranean.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
To then dive headfirst into music was not an easy journey for the soft-spoken daughter of Italian immigrants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Of course, tempo instructions don't have to be given in Italian.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Italians have come together in recent years to reject violence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
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
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
Among the Catholics, the Austrians went to Mass at eight o’clock, Italians at nine o’clock, and Irish at ten o’clock.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
