designating or pertaining to a style of printing types in which the letters usually slope to the right, patterned upon a compact manuscript hand, and used for emphasis, to separate different kinds of information, etc..
These words are in italic type.
(initial capital letter) of or relating to Italy, especially ancient Italy or its tribes.
Often italics. italic type.
(initial capital letter) a branch of the Indo-European family of languages, including ancient Latin, Oscan, Umbrian, and modern Romance.
a style of printing type modelled on this, chiefly used to indicate emphasis, a foreign word, etc Compare roman 1
(often plural) italic type or print
1555–65; < Latin Italicus < Greek Italikós, equivalent to Ital ( ía ) Italy + -ikos -ic
Italic is a typeface or font style that slants to the right. Most writers use italic type to emphasize certain words or phrases. You can use the word italic as a noun or an adjective, usually in the form "italic type," or italics. Either way, it describes the kind of cursive-styled typeface that leans at an angle. Some writers use italic type to indicate a character's speech, or to emphasize words the character stresses. You can also use italic type for words in foreign languages or the titles of long works, like novels or films.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He compared autonomy to the development of Microsoft Word -- concentrating on swarms was like obsessing over the button that makes text italic, instead of the whole programme.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
She goes against his precepts and disobeys his orders — they appear as onscreen italic titles — and he gets stroppy, as a father would.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2025
Other features fit with what we know of Milton's neat italic hand, which rarely featured joined letters.
From Science Daily • May 15, 2024
Users can even apply italic, bold or light styling to letters and numbers without changing their alignment on spreadsheets.
From New York Times • Aug. 21, 2020
All abridging remarks and other comments will be in this fancy italic type so you’ll know.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
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.
