amante
/aˈman.te/
The Italian word for mistress is amante.
The word amante is used to refer to a woman in an extramarital relationship.
Meaning: woman in extramarital relationship (noun)
Which one should you use?
Unlike the English 'mistress', which can imply a woman in a position of authority or a female head of household, the Italian amante refers strictly to a romantic/sexual lover.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun amante is epicene, meaning it has the same form for both male and female lovers. Only the article changes to indicate gender.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables with the stress on the second syllable: /aˈman.te/.
Did you know?
- In older Italian literature and poetry, calling someone an amante signified a soul-binding, spiritual devotion. This is a stark contrast to the modern usage, which often carries a scandalous or illicit connotation.
- In a formal or legal context, describing the situation as an amante might sound too romantic, so people instead use the term concubina for a long-term partner living outside of marriage.
- The word amante is also the present participle of the verb 'amare', which means 'to love'.
Examples in context
- È la mia amante!She is my mistress!This sentence is useful for identifying a person as an amante.Tatoeba #4475535 by Guybrush88, translation #1135945 by flipe
- Il re giustiziò la sua amante.The king executed his mistress.This sentence shows how the word is used in a historical or narrative context regarding an amante.Tatoeba #10478842 by Guybrush88, translation #10015624 by ddnktr
- Sami ha un'amante.Sami has a mistress.This sentence demonstrates the use of the word to describe someone having an amante.Tatoeba #6904315 by Guybrush88, translation #6867289 by OsoHombre
- La sua amanteHis mistress
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Alessandro are discussing a local scandal at a cafe.
- GiuliaHai sentito della sua amante?Did you hear about his mistress?
- AlessandroNo, chi è la sua amante?No, who is his mistress?
- GiuliaÈ una donna molto giovane.She is a very young woman.
- AlessandroChe scandalo per lui.What a scandal for him.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry amante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
