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
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.
But it was enough to draw crowds to see her in this northern Italian city, on what otherwise would have been a low-key fact-finding trip about an early years education project.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
Ten-year Italian government-bond yields are 2.2 basis points lower at 3.829%.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
"I enter Mario's world and we're telling it through the women of The Godfather," Trigiani, who has Italian roots, said on Facebook.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
The Reggio Emilia philosophy was developed by Italian educator Loris Malaguzzi after World War II, drawing on his years of experience working in early childhood education as well as psychology.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Perugia eventually confessed that he’d had help from a pair of Italian brothers in Paris, the Lancelottis.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
