mafioso

[mah-fee-oh-soh]

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

plural

mafiosi, mafiosos 

1. a member of a Mafia or of a mafia.

mafioso

/ ˌmæfɪˈəʊsəʊ, mafiˈoso /

noun

1. a person belonging to the Mafia

Word History and Origins

Origin of mafioso¹

First recorded in 1870–75; from Sicilian mafiusu “arrogance, bravado,” of disputed origin; perhaps ultimately from Arabic marfūḍ “outcast” (compare archaic Italian malfusso “wretched,” archaic Spanish marfuz “deceitful, rejected”); perhaps ultimately from Arabic mahyāṣ “braggart, show-off”

Example Sentences

Scorsese grew up in New York’s Little Italy as a Catholic altar boy and aspiring priest who was also fascinated by the mafiosos that loomed large in his community.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“A mafioso is a human being who embodies the best of capitalism: greed,” Petro said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"That's right out of a mafioso coming into a bar going, nice bar you have here, it'd be a shame if something happened to it," he added, using a mobster voice.

Read more on BBC

There’s a catch, a gimmick even, as De Niro stars opposite himself, playing both Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, two notorious real-life Italian American mafiosi who have inspired many movies and documentaries.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He was overheard telling an aspiring mafioso to go to school, meet doctors and lawyers, and learn lessons from watching The Godfather trilogy of films about the fictional Corleone gangster family.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• bandit 
• criminal 
• crook 
• hoodlum 
• hooligan 
• mobster 
• racketeer 
• robber 
• soldier 
• thug