Skip to content

insulto

insult

noun een-SOOL-toh Rare
Communication Expressions

Origin: From Latin insultus, 'a leaping upon, attack', from insilire.

Also means

offense, affront

Usage Note

Insulto refers to a verbal insult or affront. It is also used in medical Italian as a calque of English 'insult': insulto cardiaco (cardiac event) and insulto cerebrale (brain injury/stroke) — these are false-friend traps for English speakers. In everyday speech, however, insulto almost always means a verbal slight or offensive remark.

Examples

"Ha risposto all'insulto con grande calma."

Natural Translation

He responded to the insult with great calm.

Free starter pack

Building your Italian vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common Italian words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore Italian by topic