How to Say "Dummy" in Italian

manichino

/ma.niˈki.no/

The English word 'dummy' can be translated into Italian as manichino.

The term manichino refers to a nonfunctional placeholder, such as a mannequin used in a shop window or a crash-test dummy.

Meaning: a deliberately nonfunctional placeholder (noun)

How does it change in a sentence?

The plural form of manichino is manichini.

/ma.niˈki.no/. The word has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.

If an Italian describes a person as 'un manichino', they are often implying the person is wooden, stiff, or lacks personality.
In Italian fashion, a manichino can also refer to a professional fit model who serves as a living dummy for designers.
While manichino refers to a physical dummy, a person who is acting as a 'dummy' or a puppet for someone else is called a fantoccio.

Mi dispiace, ma quella decisione è risultata un po' imbecille
I'm sorry, but that decision turned out to be a bit foolish
Sei proprio un cretino, hai lasciato le chiavi in macchina!
You're such a dummy, you left the keys in the car!
È evidente che il nuovo collega è completamente incompetente
It is evident that the new colleague is completely incompetent
È stato un film davvero divertente, solo uno scemo non riderebbe
It was a really funny movie, only a dummy wouldn't laugh
Il manichino nella vetrina è molto elegante.
The dummy in the window display is very elegant.
Hanno usato un manichino per testare l'abito.
They used a dummy to test the dress.
Quel manichino sembra quasi una persona vera.
That dummy looks almost like a real person.

Two developers are discussing a new software feature.

Francesco

I dati reali non sono ancora pronti.
The real data is not ready yet.
Sofia

Possiamo usare un manichino per ora?
Can we use a dummy for now?
Francesco

Sì, Sofia, è la soluzione migliore.
Yes, Sofia, it is the best solution.
Sofia

Perfetto, lo creo subito.
Perfect, I will create it right away.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏