laureato
/law.reˈa.to/
In Italian, 'college graduate' is said as laureato.
This term refers to a person who has successfully completed a degree program at a college or university. While laureato describes the person, you can use the reflexive verb laurearsi to express the action of graduating.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word changes its form depending on the gender and number of the people being described. Use laureato for a male graduate and laureata for a female graduate. For a group of male graduates or a mixed-gender group, use the masculine plural laureati. If you are referring to a group consisting only of female graduates, use the feminine plural laureate. Additionally, the word can function as an adjective to describe someone who has graduated, in which case it is written as laureato/a.
How do you pronounce it?
/law.reˈa.to/. The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italy, some graduates still wear a physical laurel wreath called a corona d'alloro on their head during their celebration.
- A laureato typically earns their title by defending a final thesis in front of a commission of professors, rather than just accumulating credits.
- To say 'I graduated', an Italian uses the reflexive form mi sono laureato, which translates literally as 'I graduated myself'.
Examples in context
- Sono un laureato in Scienze Politiche.I am a college graduate in Political Science.
- Sono un neo-laureato in Economia.I am a recent college graduate in Economics.
- Sono appena laureata in Medicina.I have just graduated in Medicine.
- Mio fratello è un laureato in economia.My brother is a college graduate in economics.
- Cerchiamo un laureato per questa posizione.We are looking for a college graduate for this position.
- È un giovane laureato molto intelligente.He is a very intelligent young college graduate.
Example conversation
Alessandro and Martina are talking about their career goals.
- AlessandroQuando sarò laureato, cercherò un lavoro a Milano.When I am a college graduate, I will look for a job in Milan.
- MartinaÈ un'ottima idea, Alessandro.That is a great idea, Alessandro.
- AlessandroTu invece sei già laureata, vero?You, on the other hand, are already a college graduate, right?
- MartinaSì, ho finito gli studi l'anno scorso.Yes, I finished my studies last year.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry laureato, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
