Italian

American  

[ih-tal-yuhn] / ɪˈtæl jən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Italy, its people, or their language.

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noun

• Italians
  plural

1. a native or inhabitant of Italy, or a person of Italian descent.

2. a Romance language, the language of Italy, official also in Switzerland. It, It., Ital.

Italian British  

/ ɪˈtæljən /

noun

1. 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

2. a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Italy, or a descendant of one

3. See Italian vermouth

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adjective

1. relating to, denoting, or characteristic of Italy, its inhabitants, or their language

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

• Italianesque
  adjective
• anti-Italian
  adjective
• half-Italian
  adjective
• non-Italian
  adjective
• pro-Italian
  adjective
• pseudo-Italian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Italians
  plural

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:

• Italian vs. English sonnet

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Italian Italians

Parmesan or Pecorino keeps things more Italian, while cheddar nudges the dish toward American corn casserole.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

While Oosterwegel passed the Italian to win the race, O'Connor was within a second which was enough to claim a second gold medal in a matter of weeks.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

The $200-million shopping center, which first opened in 2018, is 99% leased, with one-third of the shops are new, including an Italian steakhouse called Spacca Tutto by chef Nancy Silverton and women’s apparel retailer LESET.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

And later: how Italian bank vaults full of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese are dealing with the extreme heat.

From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026

“My grandpa was Italian, but I never met him.”

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

The make-up of the backroom staff - with Argentine Willy Caballero, two Italians, three Spaniards and Maresca being able to speak French - means they have plenty of languages covered.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 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

It was 1-1 after 90 minutes, before five goals were scored in extra time, with the Italians winning 4-3.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

Some Italians joke the country boycotted the tournaments in Russia, Qatar and the U.S. on principle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

I met many of them at The Mecca—like your uncle Ben, who was raised in New York, which forced him to understand himself as an African American navigating among Haitians, Jamaicans, Hasidic Jews, and Italians.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates