virtuoso
Americannoun
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a person who has special knowledge or skill in a field.
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a person who excels in musical technique or execution.
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a person who has a cultivated appreciation of artistic excellence, as a connoisseur or collector of objects of art, antiques, etc.
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Obsolete. a person who has special interest or knowledge in the arts and sciences; scientist; scholar.
adjective
noun
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a consummate master of musical technique and artistry
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a person who has a masterly or dazzling skill or technique in any field of activity
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a connoisseur, dilettante, or collector of art objects
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obsolete a scholar or savant
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(modifier) showing masterly skill or brilliance
a virtuoso performance
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of virtuoso
1610–20; < Italian: versed, skilled < Late Latin virtuosus virtuous
Explanation
A virtuoso is an incredibly talented musician. You can also be a virtuoso in non-musical fields. A politician who helps pass a lot of bills might be called a legislative virtuoso. A baseball player who hits a lot of home runs is a slugging virtuoso. Usually, this word applies to music. It's very common for a talented pianist or guitarist to be called a virtuoso. Whatever your talent, it's a huge compliment to be called a virtuoso.
Vocabulary lists containing virtuoso
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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.
Ibrahimovic would also post a video of himself and Henry doing some virtuoso juggling as Lalas stood idly by, the implication being that the two guys who call it football know what they’re doing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
Jones stole the show with a virtuoso display at Wembley, playing a part in Notts' two first-half goals before adding the promotion-sealing third in a 3-0 victory.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
He strikes every chord like a virtuoso, and he’s going to be a major player in the movies.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
A master manipulator, he’s both a playwright and an actor, constructing scenes that might seem impossible to pull off, then delivering a virtuoso performance that leaves everyone flabbergasted by his success.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026
He was, in fact, a veritable virtuoso of exits.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
