Standard Lemma guide

ridotto

noun · 2 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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  • UK: /ɹɪˈdɒtəʊ/
  • US: /ɹəˈdoʊtoʊ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A public ball, typically a masquerade, popular in the 18th century.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Examples

  • May 26, 1742, Horace Walpole, letter to Horace Mann There are to be ridottos at guinea tickets.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An arrangement or abridgment of a piece from the full score.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: reduction

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ridotto (“foyer”). Doublet of redoubt.