virtuosity
AmericanEtymology
Origin of virtuosity
First recorded in 1665–75; virtuos(o) + -ity
Explanation
Use the noun virtuosity to describe an impressive skill, such as a classical musician's virtuosity at playing the cello. Lots of people have talents, but only a select few, called virtuosos, have the superior quality of virtuosity. A piano virtuoso, for example, is able to play and improvise at the highest level possible. People can also display virtuosity in speaking, in writing computer code, in cooking, or in other skills. In the late fifteenth century, virtuosity specifically meant "manly qualities," from the Latin root virtutem, "manliness, valor, or excellence."
Vocabulary lists containing virtuosity
1984
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Hamilton
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The Chosen
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The city’s music, famed for rough-hewn virtuosity from blues to soul to techno, is the spring that waters “Adversity.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
Broadway’s hold on us isn’t just about nostalgia or virtuosity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
Ali Louis Bourzgui’s somewhat unexpected yet eminently worthy triumph for his featured performance as the vampire with front-man magnetism, catalyzed the production’s thrilling virtuosity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Roman Mejia, Ms. Peck’s husband, led the third movement with his exuberant, cheeky virtuosity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
Nevertheless, they both reached such extremes of virtuosity that when they became exhausted from excitement, they would take advantage of their fatigue.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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.
