noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/kənˈfɛ.ti/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɛti
CMU ARPABET:K AH0 N F EH1 T IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Small pieces or strips (streamers) of colored paper or other material (metal, plaster, etc.) generally thrown about at festive occasions, especially at weddings and in victory celebrations.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Edible Italian sugarcoated almonds, especially those which are used as part of a traditional Italian wedding.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: rare, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To scatter with confetti.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
small pieces or streamers of colored paper that are thrown around on festive occasions (as at a wedding)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: paper
History
Etymology
Borrowed (possibly via French) from Italian confetti (literally “confections”), used to describe sugar-coated almonds, and by extension things imitating them (like pellets of plaster), which were thrown in Italy during festivities like Carnival and weddings. (This practice is mentioned in English since at least the 1810s.) The French and the English adopted the practice of celebrating weddings and other festivities by throwing such candies, or (by the late 1800s) tiny pieces of colored paper symbolizing them, partially displacing their earlier practice of throwing rice.
Across languages
Translations
33 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
نِثَار
(niṯār)
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Chinese Mandarin:
五彩紙屑 /五彩纸屑
(wǔcǎi zhǐxiè)
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Danish:
konfetti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Dutch:
confetti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Finnish:
konfetti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
French:
confetti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Galician:
confeti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
German:
Konfetti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Greek:
χαρτοπόλεμος
(chartopólemos)
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Greek:
κομφετί
(komfetí)
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Hindi:
कन्फ़ेटी
(kanfeṭī)
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Hungarian:
konfetti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Ido:
konfetti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Indonesian:
konfeti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Italian:
coriandoli
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Japanese:
紙吹雪
(kamifubuki)
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Korean:
색종이 조각
(saekjong'i jogak)
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Norwegian Bokmål:
konfetti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Norwegian Nynorsk:
konfetti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Portuguese:
confete
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Russian:
конфетти́
(konfettí)
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Serbo-Croatian:
конфете
(konfete)
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Spanish:
confeti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Spanish:
chaya
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Spanish:
mistura
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Spanish:
papelillo
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Swedish:
konfetti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Tagalog:
kumpitis
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Thai:
ลูกปา
(lûuk bpaa)
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Turkish:
konfeti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Ukrainian:
конфеті́
(konfetí)
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Vietnamese:
công-phét-ti
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
Vietnamese:
hoa giấy
— small pieces of colored paper generally thrown about at festive occasions
