orso grizzly
masculine
The English phrase 'grizzly bear' is translated into Italian as orso grizzly. Wiktionary also lists grizzly and orso grigio.
Meaning: Ursus arctos horribilis (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| orso grizzly | masculine | |
| grizzly | masculine | |
| orso grigio | /ˈor.so ˈɡri.d͡ʒo/ (word by word) | masculine |
The term refers to the species Ursus arctos horribilis.
Which one should you use?
While orso grizzly is the standard term, you may also see grizzly used on its own or the descriptive phrase orso grigio.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because orso is a masculine noun, the indefinite article used is un (as in un orso grizzly). The plural form of orso grizzly is orsi grizzly.
Did you know?
- In Italian culture, the orso is often used metaphorically to describe a person who is grumpy, antisocial or solitary.
- The word grigio follows a Germanic path to reach Italian, arriving via Old French and originating from Frankish roots.
- While orso grizzly is used for the North American species, Italians use orso bruno to refer to the brown bears native to the Italian Alps and Apennines.
Examples in context
- Tom fu attaccato da un orso grizzly.Tom was attacked by a grizzly bear.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe an attack by an orso grizzly.Tatoeba #7265415 by Guybrush88, translation #5373859 by Hybrid
- Ho visto un grizzly nel documentarioI saw a grizzly in the documentary
- Ho visto un orso grizzly nel documentario.I saw a grizzly bear in the documentary.
- L'orso grizzly è un animale molto grande.The grizzly bear is a very large animal.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a nature documentary in the living room.
- MatteoTi è piaciuto il documentario sull'orso grizzly?Did you like the documentary about the grizzly bear?
- MartinaSì, Matteo, è stato davvero affascinante.Yes, Matteo, it was truly fascinating.
- MatteoL'orso grizzly sembrava così potente.The grizzly bear looked so powerful.
- MartinaSì, la sua forza è incredibile.Yes, its strength is incredible.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grizzly bear” translations and entries orso grizzly, grizzly, orso grigio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (orso, grigio) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries grigio, grizzly, orso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
