Italian Word of the Day: Spiritoso (witty / funny / smart-alecky)

There are two possible interpretations for the adjective spiritoso (feminine: spiritosa, plural: spiritosi / spiritose) in Italian.

/spi·ri·tó·so/ – [spiriˈtoso]
Italian word "spiritoso"

On one hand, it characterises a witty, clever, or funny person, or something, such as a joke (battuta) or response (risposta), that is witty or entertaining.


On the flip side, it describes an individual with a tasteless sense of humour who makes jokes at inappropriate times. When the meaning is pejorative, you’ll often hear spiritoso (and the feminine equivalent spiritosa) used as a noun rather than an adjective. Some common translations include smart-aleck, wise guy, and smarty-pants.

lo spiritoso = the smart-aleck (m)
la spiritosa = the smart-aleck (f)

gli spiritosi = the smart-alecks (m)
le spiritose = the smart-alecks (f)


 Father and his daughters with paper accessories doing funny poses
Come siete spiritosi! = You’re so funny!

Spiritoso is derived from the noun spirito (spirit), which, in turn, comes from the Latin spiritus. In English, spirit and in Italian, spirito can also refer to a strongly distilled alcoholic drink. For this reason, spiritoso can also mean alcoholic or spirituous, but keep in mind that this usage is rare. Italians tend to prefer the term superalcolico (hard liquor) to describe this kind of drink.


Finally, according to Treccani, spiritoso can describe a piece of music meant to be played in a spirited manner.


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