vestito
/vesˈti.to/masculine
The Italian word for dress is vestito. Wiktionary also lists abito.
Meaning: item of clothing which both covers the upper part of the body and includes a skirt below the waist (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| vestito | /vesˈti.to/ | masculine |
| abito | /ˈa.bi.to/ | masculine |
The term refers to an item of clothing that covers the upper body and includes a skirt below the waist. Vestito is the most versatile and common way to refer to a dress in everyday conversation.
Which one should you use?
While vestito is the common word for a dress, abito is a more formal term used for dresses, suits or formal attire. Additionally, the diminutive vestitino is used to refer to a small or cute dress.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Both vestito and abito are masculine nouns. The plural of vestito is vestiti, and the plural of abito is abiti. Related verbs include vestirsi (to put on clothes) and vestire (to put clothes on).
How do you pronounce it?
/vesˈti.to/. The word has 3 syllables, and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italian, abito can refer to a man's three-piece suit. While an English speaker thinks of a 'dress', an Italian speaker using abito might be describing a formal tuxedo.
- The Latin root of abito actually relates to the concept of 'habit', which is why we still use the word 'habit' for the clothing of monks and nuns.
- The phrase vestirsi a festa means to dress up for a special occasion. It literally translates to 'dressing oneself to party', but functions as a set idiom for wearing one's finest clothes.
Examples in context
- È un bel vestito.That's a beautiful dress.This sentence shows how to describe a beautiful vestito.Tatoeba #3607619 by Guybrush88, translation #37853 by CK
- È il mio vestito.That's my dress.This sentence shows how to express ownership of a vestito.Tatoeba #12288204 by Guybrush88, translation #2478822 by Hybrid
- Il vestito è verde.The dress is green.This sentence shows how to describe the color of a vestito.Tatoeba #801727 by Guybrush88, translation #801728 by CM
- Ho comprato un bellissimo vestito per la festa.I bought a beautiful dress for the party.
- Il mio abito da sposa è bianco.My wedding dress is white.
- Ho comprato un vestitino carino per l'estate.I bought a cute little dress for the summer.
- Ho bisogno di comprare nuova roba, incluso un vestito elegante.I need to buy new clothes, including a fancy dress.
- 360 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Matteo are getting ready for a party.
- ChiaraQuale vestito dovrei mettere stasera?Which dress should I wear tonight?
- MatteoQuello rosso è molto elegante.The red one is very elegant.
- ChiaraHai ragione, scelgo questo vestito.You're right, I'll choose this dress.
- MatteoSarai bellissima, Chiara!You will be beautiful, Chiara!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dress” translations and entries vestito, abito, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
