delizioso
/de.litˈt͡sjo.zo/
The English word 'delicious' is translated into Italian using delizioso. Wiktionary also lists squisito and gustoso.
Meaning: pleasing to taste (adj)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| delizioso | /de.litˈt͡sjo.zo/ /de.litˈt͡sjo.so/ |
| squisito | /skwiˈzi.to/ |
| gustoso | /ɡusˈto.zo/ /ɡusˈto.so/ |
All these terms are used to describe something that is pleasing to the taste. To intensify your expression of how delicious something is, you can use the word davvero, which means 'truly'.
Which one should you use?
While delizioso is common, squisito is often used to express a higher level of culinary excellence or refinement. Additionally, gustoso focuses more on the presence of flavor (tasty/savory) rather than the general pleasantness of the food.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective delizioso must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. For example, deliziosa is the feminine singular. For masculine plural nouns, use deliziosi and for feminine plural nouns, use deliziose.
How do you pronounce it?
/de.litˈtsjo.zo/
Did you know?
- If you find a meal particularly delicious, you might say it is da leccarsi i baffi, which literally translates to 'to lick one's whiskers'.
- The word squisito implies that the food was 'carefully sought out' or 'selected' rather than just tasting good. This stems from the Latin root meaning to search or investigate.
- To emphasize that food is incredibly delicious, Italians might use the phrase da svenire, which literally translates to 'enough to make one faint'.
Examples in context
- Il tè è delizioso.Tea is delicious.This sentence shows how to describe tea as delicious using delizioso.Tatoeba #10698185 by Guybrush88, translation #8983697 by sundown
- Il riso è delizioso.The rice is delicious.This sentence shows how to describe rice as delicious using delizioso.Tatoeba #3184527 by Guybrush88, translation #462902 by lukaszpp
- Il cibo è delizioso?Is the food delicious?This sentence is a question asking if food is delicious using delizioso.Tatoeba #11869467 by Guybrush88, translation #8396283 by Amastan
- Il tiramisù è buonissimo!The tiramisu is delicious!
- Questo piatto di pesce è davvero delizioso!This fish dish is truly delicious!
- La torta al cioccolato di questa pasticceria è squisita!The chocolate cake from this pastry shop is exquisite!
- Questa pizza è buona!This pizza is delicious!
- La pasta alla carbonara di mia nonna è davvero gustosa!My grandma's carbonara pasta is truly delicious!
- 130 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Francesco are having lunch at a restaurant.
- SofiaFrancesco, questo piatto è delizioso!Francesco, this dish is delicious!
- FrancescoHai ragione, Sofia, è davvero ottimo.You're right, Sofia, it is really excellent.
- SofiaVuoi un altro po' di pasta?Do you want a bit more pasta?
- FrancescoSì, grazie, non vedo l'ora di finirlo.Yes, thank you, I can't wait to finish it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “delicious” translations and entries delizioso, squisito, gustoso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries delizioso, gustoso, squisito, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
