Standard Lemma guide

virtuoso

adj · noun · 6 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌvɜ.tʃuˈəʊ.səʊ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˌvɝ.t͡ʃuˈoʊ.soʊ/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: V ER0 CH UW0 OW1 S OW0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Exhibiting the ability of a virtuoso.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An expert in virtù or art objects and antiquities; a connoisseur.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Someone with special skill or knowledge; an expert.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Specifically, a musician (or other performer) with masterly ability, technique, or personal style.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ace, adept, champion, sensation, maven, mavin, genius, hotshot, star, superstar, whiz, whizz, wizard, wiz

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: expert

Narrower terms: track star

6

noun

Meaning 6

a musician who is a consummate master of technique and artistry

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: musician

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weyh1-? Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós Proto-Italic *wiros Latin vir Proto-Indo-European *-tuHts Latin -tūs Latin virtūs Proto-Indo-European *h3ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h3édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ŏ̄dsos? Old Latin -ōssus Latin -ōsus Late Latin virtuōsusbor. Italian virtuosobor. English virtuoso Borrowed from Italian virtuoso, from Late Latin virtuōsus (“virtuous”), from Latin virtus (“excellence”). Doublet of virtuous.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: վիրտուոզ (virtuoz) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Catalan: virtuós — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Catalan: virtuosa — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Cebuano: tang-an — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Chinese Mandarin: 藝術鑑賞家 /艺术鉴赏家 (yìshù jiànshǎng jiā) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Chinese Mandarin: 專家 /专家 (zhuānjiā) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Chinese Mandarin: 能手 (néngshǒu) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Chinese Mandarin: 大師 /大师 (dàshī) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Danish: virtuos — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Dutch: virtuoos — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Esperanto: virtuozo — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Finnish: virtuoosi — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • French: virtuose — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Georgian: ვირტუოზი (virṭuozi) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • German: Virtuose — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Greek: βιρτουόζος (virtouózos) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Italian: virtuoso — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Japanese: 名人 (meijin) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Japanese: ヴィルトゥオーゾ (virutuōso) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Japanese: 妙手 (myōshu) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Japanese: 巨匠 (kyoshō) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Kazakh: саусағынан бал тамған (sausağynan bal tamğan) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Korean: 미술품 감정가 (misulpum gamjeongga) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Māori: rehe — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Polish: wirtuoz — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Polish: wirtuozka — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Portuguese: virtuoso — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Russian: виртуо́з (virtuóz) — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Spanish: virtuoso — A person with masterly ability, technique or style
  • Turkish: virtüöz — A person with masterly ability, technique or style