brio
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of brio
First recorded in 1725–35; from Italian, from Spanish brío “energy, determination,” from assumed Celtic brīgos; compare Old Irish bríg (feminine) “power, strength, force,” Middle Welsh bri (masculine) “honor, dignity, authority”
Explanation
If someone's got brio, they're full of spirited enthusiasm. You know that counselor who gets the whole camp incredibly excited about playing Capture the Flag? She's got brio! Energy, vivacity, and style are all important elements of brio. If you do something with brio, you bring all of your zest and vigor to it. If you sing a karaoke song with brio, you might get the whole room singing along and applauding. And your uncle might be known for telling scary campfire stories with brio, using spooky voices and elaborate hand gestures. In Italian, brio means "mettle, fire, or life," from a Celtic word meaning "strength."
Vocabulary lists containing brio
Middlemarch
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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Troublemaker” logs Mitford’s travels and transformations with brio, even while Ms. Kaplan details accounts of the civil-rights causes Mitford threw herself into.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
I admire her brio to take on Bass and respect her place in L.A. political history.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026
Chekhov may not falsely console, but he dignifies the human struggle in a secular parable that lives again through the magic of ensemble brio and a director at the top of his game.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2025
She noted, however, that the "the novel is stripped of the endless, inventive discursions into folk-tale, backstory and verbal brio that characterise the best of Marquez".
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2024
The tempo of the first movement, which begins after a grand pause, is allegro con brio, and the first subject is given out in a sparkling cascade of sound.
From A Book of Burlesques by Mencken, H. L. (Henry Louis)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
