spiritoso
/spi.riˈto.zo/masculine
The English word 'witty' translates to Italian as spiritoso. Wiktionary also lists ingegnoso and faceto.
Meaning: clever, amusingly ingenious (adj)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| spiritoso | /spi.riˈto.zo/ /spi.riˈto.so/ (traditional) |
masculine |
| ingegnoso | /in.d͡ʒeɲˈɲo.zo/ /in.d͡ʒeɲˈɲo.so/ |
|
| faceto | /faˈt͡ʃɛ.to/ | masculine |
The terms used for 'witty' describe someone who is clever, amusingly ingenious.
Which one should you use?
Sagace is a formal way to say witty, encompassing sharpness of mind and keen perception.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of spiritoso is spiritosa, the masculine plural form is spiritosi and the feminine plural form is spiritose.
How do you pronounce it?
The word spiritoso is pronounced /spi.riˈto.zo/. It has four syllables, and the stress is on the third syllable.
Did you know?
- The word faceto is an etymological sibling to the English word 'facetious', but while 'facetious' often carries a negative tone of being inappropriately humorous, faceto remains more neutral or even positive.
- The word spiritoso is also used in music to indicate that a piece should be played in a 'spirited' or lively manner.
- The word ingegnoso shares a root with ingegno, a term famously associated with Leonardo da Vinci's 'genius'.
Examples in context
- Tom non è spiritoso.Tom isn't witty.This sentence is useful for seeing how to negate the adjective spiritoso.Tatoeba #4247417 by Guybrush88, translation #3171260 by CK
- È una persona spiritosaHe/she is a witty person.
- È un uomo sagaceHe is a witty man
- È una donna sagaceShe is a witty woman
- È un ragazzo spiritosettoHe is a witty little guy.
- Sei davvero divertente!You are really witty!
- La tua risposta è molto spiritosa!Your response is very witty!
- Sono tutte spiritose!They are all witty! (referring to a group of women)
- Il suo commento era davvero spiritoso.His comment was really witty.
- È un ragazzo molto spiritoso e intelligente.He is a very witty and intelligent boy.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Matteo are discussing a funny friend.
- GiuliaHai sentito l'ultima battuta di Luca?Did you hear Luca's latest joke?
- MatteoSì, è sempre così spiritoso!Yes, he is always so witty!
- GiuliaRiesce sempre a farmi ridere.He always manages to make me laugh.
- MatteoÈ proprio un tipo brillante.He really is a brilliant guy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “witty” translations and entries spiritoso, ingegnoso, faceto, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries faceto, ingegnoso, spiritoso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
