sprezzatura

American  

[sprets-uh-toor-uh] / ˌsprɛts əˈtʊər ə /

noun

1. seemingly effortless grace in manner or careless stylishness in dress; casual charisma or allure.

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Explanation

Sprezzatura is a kind of studied carelessness or seemingly effortless grace. Someone who always manages to look chic, even in their weekend clean-out-the-garage clothes, displays sprezzatura — they make it look easy to look good. The word sprezzatura is borrowed from Italian, and it dates back to the 1500s, during the Renaissance. It was used to describe a desirable quality amongst the nobles — making difficult things appear easy and acting in a cool, nonchalant manner. Today, the word is often used in the arts, especially in fashion, where it refers to a relaxed but stylish look that seems like you didn't really bother (but you did) — e.g., a partially untucked shirt, a slightly crooked tie, a fancy dress paired with sneakers.

Example Sentences

His high-end, restrained tailoring was attracting mostly European customers who saw it as an Americanized version of sprezzatura, a studied nonchalance.

From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2020

True genius was defined by a quality of sprezzatura, creating brilliant work without any toil.

From Economist • May 10, 2018

The Renegade shares many mechanicals and subdermal details with the Fiat 500X, another five-seat crossover offered world-wide, only encrusted with Fiat moda e sprezzatura.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2016

Their idyll is disrupted by the arrival of Harry, an ex-lover of Marianne’s played with maniacal sprezzatura by Ralph Fiennes.

From New York Times • Sep. 10, 2015

No poet has created a world of larger and nobler images, designed with the sprezzatura of indifference to mere gracefulness, but all the more fascinating because of the artist's negligence.

From Sketches and Studies in Italy and Greece, Third series by Symonds, John Addington