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Synonyms

fresco

American  
[fres-koh] / ˈfrɛs koʊ /

noun

plural

frescoes, frescos

  1. Also called buon fresco.  Also called true fresco.  the art or technique of painting on a moist, plaster surface with colors ground up in water or a limewater mixture.

  2. a picture or design so painted.

verb (used with object)

frescoed, frescoing

  1. to paint in fresco.

fresco British  
/ ˈfrɛskəʊ /

noun

  1. a very durable method of wall-painting using watercolours on wet plaster or, less properly, dry plaster ( fresco secco ), with a less durable result

  2. a painting done in this way

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
fresco Cultural  

  1. A painting on wet plaster. When the plaster dries, the painting is bonded to the wall. Fresco was a popular method for painting large murals during the Renaissance. The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci, is a fresco, as are the paintings by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

Other Word Forms

  • frescoer noun
  • frescoist noun

Etymology

Origin of fresco

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Italian: “cool, fresh,” of Germanic origin; fresh

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.

They have refused to play some nights, on one occasion putting on a free al fresco show a few winding streets away instead.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

Go the Capitol rotunda and look up at the dome, where Constantino Brumidi’s fresco The Apotheosis of Washington, painted during the Civil War, shows Washington in heaven, flanked by goddesses.

From Slate • Feb. 16, 2026

However the fresco at the centre of this controversy was not old - it was painted in 2000 and was not heritage protected.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

The agency, part of the Italian culture ministry, had ordered an inspection of the fresco on Saturday.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

With the passage of time, Alba filled not only one but all her bedroom walls with an immense fresco.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

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.