affascinante
/af.faʃ.ʃiˈnan.te/
The Italian word for charming is affascinante.
affascinante is used to describe someone or something that is pleasant or charismatic.
Meaning: pleasant, charismatic (adj)
Which one should you use?
While affascinante is a standard way to express charm, you may use incantevole for a more formal tone or simpatico to describe someone as charming in an informal way, specifically meaning they are nice or likeable.
How does it change in a sentence?
affascinante is invariable for gender in the singular, so it remains the same for both masculine and feminine singular nouns. For plural nouns, use affascinanti, which serves both masculine and feminine plural forms.
How do you pronounce it?
/af.faʃ.ʃiˈnan.te/. The word has 5 syllables and the stress is on the 4th syllable.
Did you know?
- The term fascino comes from the Latin fascinum, which was originally a phallic amulet used to ward off the evil eye.
- In its original Latin roots, to 'fascinate' someone implied using the 'evil eye' or a magical spell to strike them motionless.
- If you call someone simpatico to mean they are charming, you are actually describing their temperament rather than their outward charisma.
Examples in context
- È una donna affascinante.She is a charming woman.This sentence is useful for describing a woman using affascinante.Tatoeba #4002002 by Guybrush88, translation #539523 by CK
- Tom è molto affascinante.Tom is very charming.This sentence shows how to use affascinante to describe a man.Tatoeba #5556400 by Guybrush88, translation #2273582 by CK
- Era una donna affascinante.She was a charming woman.This sentence demonstrates the past tense usage of affascinante.Tatoeba #2477983 by Guybrush88, translation #317113 by CM
- Ha un sorriso incantevoleShe has an enchanting smile
- Hai un modo di fare molto elegante e affascinanteYou have a very elegant and charming way about you
- È un ragazzo simpaticoHe is a charming guy
- È così adorabileHe/she is so charming
- 62 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Matteo are talking about a new colleague.
- SofiaHai conosciuto il nuovo collega?Have you met the new colleague?
- MatteoSì, lo trovo molto affascinante.Yes, I find him very charming.
- SofiaHai ragione, ha un modo di fare unico.You're right, he has a unique way about him.
- MatteoÈ davvero una persona affascinante.He really is a charming person.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “charming” translations and entries affascinante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
