cattivo perdente
/katˈti.vo perˈdɛn.te/word by word
The Italian phrase for "sore loser" is cattivo perdente.
cattivo perdente is used to describe someone who is easily angered by losing.
Meaning: one who is easily angered by losing (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "bad loser".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on the gender and number of the people you are describing. To refer to a female sore loser, use the feminine form cattiva perdente. For a group of male or mixed-gender sore losers, use the masculine plural form cattivi perdenti.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /katˈti.vo perˈdɛn.te/. It has 5 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- In a competitive context, a sore loser might be called a rosicone, which comes from the verb rosicare meaning 'to gnaw'. It evokes the image of someone 'eating themselves' with envy.
- The word cattivo evolved from the Latin captīvus, meaning 'captive', because being captured was historically associated with being 'caught by the devil'.
- To describe the dramatic outburst of a sore loser, Italians use the expression fare una scenata, which literally means 'to make a scene'.
Examples in context
- Carlo è davvero un cattivo perdente. Non riesce mai a sorridere dopo una sconfitta.Carlo is such a sore loser. He never manages to smile after a loss.
- Non fare il cattivo perdente!Don't be a sore loser!
- Non essere un cattivo perdente.Don't be a sore loser.
- Lui è proprio un cattivo perdente.He is such a sore loser.
- Non mi piace giocare con un cattivo perdente.I don't like playing with a sore loser.
Example conversation
Francesco and Martina are playing a board game.
- FrancescoHo vinto di nuovo, Martina!I won again, Martina!
- MartinaQuesto gioco è truccato, non vale!This game is rigged, it doesn't count!
- FrancescoAmmettilo, sei proprio un cattivo perdente.Admit it, you are really a sore loser.
- MartinaNon è vero, ho solo avuto sfortuna.That's not true, I was just unlucky.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (cattivo, perdente) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cattivo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
