rifiuto
/riˈfju.to/masculine
In Italian, the English word 'waste' can be translated as rifiuto, scarto or immondizia.
Meaning: useless by-products, garbage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| rifiuto | /riˈfju.to/ | masculine |
| scarto | /ˈskar.to/ | masculine |
| immondizia | /im.monˈdit.t͡sja/ | feminine |
These terms are used to describe various types of useless by-products or garbage.
Which one should you use?
rifiuto is the standard term used in technical, legal or industrial contexts to refer to waste products. In contrast, scarto specifically refers to a byproduct or a leftover piece of material from a manufacturing process, such as scrap or leftovers.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural of rifiuto is rifiuti, the plural of scarto is scarti and the plural of immondizia is immondizie.
How do you pronounce it?
rifiuto is pronounced /riˈfju.to/. It has three syllables, and the stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- In some Italian contexts, scarto is used as a euphemism for someone who is considered a social outcast or a failure, treating the person as a byproduct that was cast aside.
- In Italian, the word for 'waste' rifiuto is the same word used for a 'refusal' or 'rejection'. This means a person can rifiutare a request just as a factory produces rifiuti.
- The term scarto is used in Italian to describe the 'waste' or 'gap' between two measurements, such as a deviation in statistics or a difference in size.
Examples in context
- rifiuto tossicoToxic wasteThis example shows how to use rifiuto to describe toxic waste.
- rifiuto radioattivoRadioactive wasteThis example shows how to use rifiuto to describe radioactive waste.
- È importante riciclare i rifiuti in modo corretto.It is important to recycle waste properly.
- Questo materiale è uno scarto dell'industria tessile.This material is a waste product from the textile industry.
- Non sprecare acqua, stiamo vivendo una siccità.Don't waste water, we are experiencing a drought.
- Ho buttato via il mio tempo guardando la televisione.I wasted my time watching TV.
- Mio zio è uno sprecone. Spenderebbe tutto il suo stipendio in un giorno!My uncle is a spendthrift. He would spend all his salary in one day!
Example conversation
Matteo and Chiara are cleaning their kitchen.
- MatteoChiara, questo è un rifiuto organico.Chiara, this is organic waste.
- ChiaraHai ragione, mettilo nel bidone marrone.You are right, put it in the brown bin.
- MatteoE questo rifiuto di plastica invece?And what about this plastic waste?
- ChiaraVa nel contenitore per la plastica, Matteo.It goes in the plastic container, Matteo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “waste” translations and entries rifiuto, scarto, immondizia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
