Virtuoso Meaning
/ˌvɜ.tʃuˈəʊ.səʊ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn expert in virtù or art objects and antiquities; a connoisseur.
nounSomeone with special skill or knowledge; an expert.
Sentence Examples
Tom is a virtuoso.
He is a virtuoso.
Tom is a virtuoso on the guitar.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The young piano ____ performed a difficult concerto flawlessly at the crowded concert hall.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He is a ____ on the guitar, able to play even the most difficult and complex solos with great skill today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós Proto-Italic *wiros Late Latin vir Proto-Indo-European *-tuHts Late Latin -tūs Late Latin virtūs Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃édosder.? Proto-Italic *-ōtsos or *-otsos Late 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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"For, besides the extraordinary Neatness of the Room, it was adorned with a great Number of Nicknacks, and Curiosities, which might have engaged the Attention of a Virtuoso."
— 1749, Henry Fielding, chapter 10, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume III, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book VIII, page 224:
"The prefect who officiated on this occasion was a "tolley" virtuoso, and he did his best to bring out the resources of his instrument."
— 1907, The Messenger, page 147:
"Facial surgeons are now virtuosi."
— 2025 October 11, Jo Ellison, “The forever 35 face of fashion”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 23:
"On Friday, the Thai police said he was under arrest and charged as a pedophile after computer experts had unswirled the digitally altered face in a virtuoso act of electronic decoding."
— 2007 October 20, Seth Mydans, “Thai Police Arrest Pedophile Suspect”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 Nov 2020:
"Instead, he was able to sit alongside De Bruyne on the City bench admiring a virtuoso performance from Foden, pulling every string in the number 10 role and illustrating again why he is so important to Guardiola, and why he simply must start for Gareth Southgate's England at Euro 2024."
— 2024 April 3, Phil McNulty, “Man City 4-1 Aston Villa: Phil Foden produces 'masterclass' to show worth again”, in BBC Sport:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The young piano ____ performed a difficult concerto flawlessly at the crowded concert hall.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He is a ____ on the guitar, able to play even the most difficult and complex solos with great skill today.