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virtuoso

American  
[vur-choo-oh-soh] / ˌvɜr tʃuˈoʊ soʊ /

noun

plural

virtuosos, virtuosi

  1. a person who has special knowledge or skill in a field.

  2. a person who excels in musical technique or execution.

  3. a person who has a cultivated appreciation of artistic excellence, as a connoisseur or collector of objects of art, antiques, etc.

  4. Obsolete. a person who has special interest or knowledge in the arts and sciences; scientist; scholar.

adjective

  1. Also virtuosic of, relating to, or characteristic of a virtuoso.

    a virtuoso performance.
virtuoso British  
/ ˌvɜːtjʊˈɒsɪk, -səʊ, ˌvɜːtjʊˈəʊzəʊ /

noun

  1. a consummate master of musical technique and artistry

  2. a person who has a masterly or dazzling skill or technique in any field of activity

  3. a connoisseur, dilettante, or collector of art objects

  4. obsolete a scholar or savant

  5. (modifier) showing masterly skill or brilliance

    a virtuoso performance
"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

Other Word Forms

  • virtuosic adjective
  • virtuosity noun

Etymology

Origin of virtuoso

1610–20; < Italian: versed, skilled < Late Latin virtuosus virtuous

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.

It’s a virtuoso achievement, an immersive experience for the reader.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

Here, across 12 minutes, the orchestra turns a four-note motif into a vivid tone poem—shifting moods and colors, restless movement, and a brilliant closing spotlight for virtuoso clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026

Along with his Long Beach Opera gig, Rountree is founder and music director of Wild Up, the avant-garde chamber orchestra of virtuoso musicians, all of whom happen to be progressive composers as well.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

While Australia's Alex Carey gave a virtuoso performance on day one of the second Ashes Test, Jamie Smith put down a crucial chance in the first session of the second day in Brisbane.

From BBC • Dec. 5, 2025

Greater shape and clarity, of course, was what the fledgling record industry preferred to long-winded periods of virtuoso meandering.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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.