DictionaryAI

Italian

eye-TAL-yuhn/aɪˈtæliən/

Noun pluralItalians

9 meanings of Italian

Practice

  1. 1
    of the countryadjective
    From Italy, or to do with Italy, its people, or its way of life.

    Italian wine is sold in shops all over the world.

    She bought a small Italian car with great fuel economy.

    UsageAlways start it with a capital letter: Italian food.

    Note
  2. 2
    personnouncountable
    A person from Italy, or someone whose family originally came from Italy.

    An Italian moved into the apartment next door last week.

    Many Italians settled in this city a hundred years ago.

    Note
  3. 3
    the languagenoununcountable
    The main language spoken in Italy and in a few nearby places.

    She speaks Italian fluently after living in Rome for years.

    Italian is taught in many schools across Europe.

    UsageSay speak Italian and in Italian, with no a or the.

  4. 4
    noununcountable
    Food cooked in the style of Italy, such as pasta or pizza.

    We ordered Italian for dinner and shared a big plate of lasagna.

    On Fridays the family always cooks Italian at home.

    UsageSay eat Italian or cook Italian, with no a or the.

    Note
  5. 5
    adjective
    Relating to the language that people speak in Italy.

    She keeps mixing up Italian grammar and Spanish grammar.

    The song has simple Italian lyrics that are easy to sing.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of Italian apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Latin Italia, meaning "Italy."

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 2 facts