virtuoso
[ vur-choo-oh-soh ]
/ ˌvɜr tʃuˈoʊ soʊ /
Save This Word!
noun, plural vir·tu·o·sos, vir·tu·o·si [vur-choo-oh-see]. /ˌvɜr tʃuˈoʊ si/.
a person who has special knowledge or skill in a field.
a person who excels in musical technique or execution.
a person who has a cultivated appreciation of artistic excellence, as a connoisseur or collector of objects of art, antiques, etc.
Obsolete. a person who has special interest or knowledge in the arts and sciences; scientist; scholar.
adjective
Also vir·tu·os·ic [vur-choo-os-ik]. /ˌvɜr tʃuˈɒs ɪk/. of, relating to, or characteristic of a virtuoso: a virtuoso performance.
QUIZ
ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Origin of virtuoso
1610–20; <Italian: versed, skilled <Late Latin virtuosusvirtuous
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use virtuoso in a sentence
This book is a virtuosic performance in original and tricksterish storytelling.
The concert was chaotically virtuosic: an ideal rockist combo.
The quilts in the QSOS Obama project range from serious to humorous in theme and from competent to virtuosic in execution.
The general airiness of the style is a particularly-noticeable feature of this piece of Chopin's virtuosic period.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
British Dictionary definitions for virtuoso
virtuoso
/ (ˌvɜːtjʊˈəʊzəʊ, -səʊ) /
noun plural -sos or -si (-siː)
a consummate master of musical technique and artistry
a person who has a masterly or dazzling skill or technique in any field of activity
a connoisseur, dilettante, or collector of art objects
obsolete a scholar or savant
(modifier) showing masterly skill or brilliancea virtuoso performance
Derived forms of virtuoso
virtuosic (ˌvɜːtjʊˈɒsɪk), adjectivevirtuosity, nounWord Origin for virtuoso
C17: from Italian: skilled, from Late Latin virtuōsus good, virtuous; see virtue
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012