Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| orgoglioso | /or.ɡoʎˈʎo.zo/ /or.ɡoʎˈʎo.so/ |
| fiero | /ˈfjɛ.ro/ |
Both words describe the feeling of being proud, such as feeling gratified, honored or satisfied with an achievement.
Which one should you use?
While both terms mean proud, fiero is the preferred choice when expressing a sense of noble pride, honor or being satisfied with an accomplishment. In contrast, orgoglioso can sometimes carry a negative connotation of being conceited or arrogant.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the person feeling the pride. For orgoglioso, use orgogliosa for a female singular subject, orgogliosi for a masculine or mixed-gender plural group and orgogliose for a feminine plural group. For fiero, use fiera for a female singular subject and fieri for a masculine or mixed-gender plural group. To indicate the object of one's pride, both adjectives are followed by the preposition di.
How do you pronounce it?
/or.ɡoʎˈʎo.zo/
Did you know?
- The word fiero shares a linguistic root with the English word 'fierce'. It originally derived from the Latin ferus, meaning wild or untamed.
- In Italian, the concept of pride is split between orgoglio and fierezza. Orgoglio is often associated with the ego, whereas fierezza relates to dignity and self-respect.
- The suffix -oso in orgoglioso is a common Italian pattern used to turn nouns into adjectives, similar to the English suffix '-ful'.
Examples in context
- È fiero di sé.He's proud of himself.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of fiero with a reflexive pronoun.Tatoeba #8629084 by Guybrush88, translation #7382400 by CH
- Tom ne è fiero.Tom is proud of that.This sentence shows how to use fiero to express pride in a specific thing.Tatoeba #6536558 by Guybrush88, translation #6532224 by CK
- Era fiero di sé.He was proud of himself.This sentence uses the imperfect tense with fiero to describe a past state of pride.Tatoeba #9948294 by Guybrush88, translation #8535710 by CH
- Sono orgoglioso/a del mio lavoro.I am proud of my work.
- È orgoglioso/a dei suoi figli.He/She is proud of his/her children.
- Siamo orgogliosi delle nostre tradizioni.We are proud of our traditions.
- Sono fiero/fiera di te!I am proud of you!
- Marco è fiero del suo nuovo lavoro.Marco is proud of his new job.
- Lei è fiera dei suoi progressi.She is proud of her achievements.
- 791 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia tells Alessandro about her graduation.
- GiuliaFinalmente mi sono laureata!I finally graduated!
- AlessandroSono davvero orgoglioso di te, Giulia.I am really proud of you, Giulia.
- GiuliaGrazie, sono stata molto costante.Thanks, I was very consistent.
- AlessandroHai fatto un ottimo lavoro.You did a great job.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “proud” translations and entries orgoglioso, fiero, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fiero, orgoglioso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
