Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| losco | /ˈlos.ko/ | masculine |
| ambiguo | /amˈbi.ɡwo/ /amˈbi.ɡu.o/ |
In Italian, losco describes someone or something as shady or shady-looking, implying dishonesty. You can use the phrase un tipo losco to refer to a suspicious or untrustworthy person. While losco implies a sense of dishonesty, other words can be used in different contexts: oscuro literally means 'dark' but is often used to describe something shady or obscure and sospetto translates to 'suspicious' and can be used to express a sense of shadiness.
Which one should you use?
The forms losco and ambiguo can both be used to describe shadiness.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective losco must agree in gender with the noun it modifies, so use losca for feminine nouns. The adjective losco becomes loschi when describing multiple masculine or mixed-gender subjects. The adjective losco becomes losche when describing multiple feminine subjects. The masculine singular form is losco.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ˈlos.ko/. The stressed syllable is the first of two.
Did you know?
- The Italian word losco actually traces its roots back to the Latin word 'luscus', which originally meant 'squint-eyed' or 'cross-eyed'.
- While losco describes a person's character, if you want to describe a literal 'shady' area or a place with many shadows, you would use the word ombrevole instead.
- In Italian, calling someone un tipo losco is a common cliché in crime novels and police procedurals to describe a classic underworld character.
Examples in context
- Tom è losco.Tom is shady.This sentence is useful for describing a person as shady using losco.Tatoeba #2996105 by Guybrush88, translation #12738640 by rul
- Cerchi di trovare qualcosa di losco in qualsiasi cosa io dica.You try to find something shady in whatever I say.This sentence shows how to use losco when referring to something shady in speech.Tatoeba #11772950 by Nuel, translation #11772949 by Nuel
- Mia figlia frequenta un tipo losco che è stato visto spacciare nel quartiere.My daughter dates a shady guy who was seen dealing in the neighborhood.This sentence uses the phrase un tipo losco to describe a shady guy.Tatoeba #13915066 by Nuel, translation #13915065 by Nuel
- La situazione sembra un po' sospetta.The situation seems a bit shady.
- Quel tipo sembra davvero losco.That guy looks really shady.
- Quel posto mi sembra un po' misterioso.That place seems a bit shady/mysterious.
Example conversation
Giulia and Alessandro are walking down a dark alleyway.
- AlessandroQuesto vicolo mi sembra molto losco.This alley looks very shady to me.
- GiuliaHai ragione, Alessandro, meglio tornare indietro.You're right, Alessandro, better to go back.
- AlessandroNon mi sento affatto tranquillo qui.I don't feel calm here at all.
- GiuliaAndiamo via velocemente.Let's get out of here quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shady” translations and entries losco, ambiguo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ambiguo, losco, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
