spaghetti western

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a low-budget western movie shot in Italy or Spain, usually with Italian actors and an American star.

---

spaghetti western British  

noun

1. a cowboy film about the American West made, esp by an Italian director, in Europe

---

Etymology

Origin of spaghetti western

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spaghetti western

Based on her hit 2018 stage play of the same name, Harris’ film is a road movie meeting a spaghetti western, with a dash of “Set It Off” gone Tarantino.

From Salon ● May 19, 2026

West Seattle’s foremost purveyor of alt-country noir is back with another scintillating set of spaghetti western ditties marked by Amaker’s unmistakable baritone, which is equal parts folksy and sinister.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2024

The daughter is pop '80s/'90s, the grandmother, who tells tall tales as many grandmothers do, is a spaghetti western, and the mother, who is still traumatized by Iran, is a neorealist Kiarostami film.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2023

Its production, with its classic Hollywood-sounding ricochet samples, fits the movie’s slick, updated spaghetti western vibe.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2021

“I told them, man, that’s like 1940s, 1950s spaghetti western stuff.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 29, 2021