italic

adjective ital·ic \ ə-ˈta-lik , i- , ī- \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Definition of italic

1 a : of or relating to a type style with characters that slant upward to the right (as in "these words are italic") — compare roman

b : of or relating to a style of slanted cursive handwriting developed in the 15th and 16th centuries

2 capitalized : of or relating to ancient Italy, its peoples, or their Indo-European languages

See italic defined for English-language learners

See italic defined for kids

Recent Examples of italic from the Web

The New York Times sent out a breaking news alert and threw a bold, italic headline across its front page announcing the potential change in policy.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Donald Trump Dupes the Media with Another Immigration Head Fake," 1 Mar. 2017
In each case, the subtitle appears in bold or italic, followed by a short paragraph in plain text describing the scope and results of the project.

— amy lindgren, Twin Cities, "Working Strategies: Making strategic use of optional résumé sections," 28 Jan. 2017
The italic angle conveys forward motion, innovation, and progress.

— derek hawkins, chicagotribune.com, "PayPal says Pandora latched onto its brand with new, similar logo," 24 May 2017
The New York Times sent out a breaking news alert and threw a bold, italic headline across its front page announcing the potential change in policy.

— tina nguyen, The Hive, "Donald Trump Dupes the Media with Another Immigration Head Fake," 1 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'italic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of italic

1598

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

italic

noun

Definition of italic

1 : an italic character or type

2 capitalized : a branch of the Indo-European language family that includes Latin, Oscan, and Umbrian — see Indo-European Languages Table

See italic defined for English-language learners

Examples of italic in a Sentence

These words are printed in italic.
The type should be set in italics.
These words are printed in italics.

Recent Examples of italic from the Web

His hyperbolic, stylized writing work was a gleeful fusillade of exclamation points, italics and improbable words.

— kansascity, "In memoriam list for May 20: Author Tom Wolfe, Margot ‘Lois Lane’ Kidder | The Kansas City Star," 20 May 2018
His hyperbolic, stylized writing work was a gleeful fusillade of exclamation points, italics and improbable words.

— kansascity, "In memoriam list for May 20: Author Tom Wolfe, Margot ‘Lois Lane’ Kidder | The Kansas City Star," 20 May 2018
New shows are in bold; returning shows in new time slots are in italics.

— chris foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Here's a quick guide to broadcast TV's new fall lineups," 17 May 2018
His hyperbolic, stylized writing work was a gleeful fusillade of exclamation points, italics and improbable words.

— hillel italie, BostonGlobe.com, "Tom Wolfe, pioneering ‘New Journalist,’ dies at 88," 15 May 2018
Dorsey's quotes and the accompanying questions are in italics.

— dan labbe, cleveland.com, "Interpreting John Dorsey: What the Browns GM said on Thursday and what it might have meant," 19 Apr. 2018
In italics are overall admission rates for those schools: Brown: 13 of 34 admitted, 38 percent.

— nick anderson, Washington Post, "Fourteen of 15 into Stanford early: Eye-popping admission stats for low-income advising program," 27 Mar. 2018
If the Sooners had anyone in McCoy’s neighborhood playing last season, Georgia doesn’t average 9.3 yards a carry and that alternative timeline up there in italics might have come true.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Lincoln Riley Prepares to Lead Oklahoma Into Life After Baker Mayfield," 19 Mar. 2018
Here are some of Brown’s remarks, in bold italics, and my reactions.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: What Mike Brown doesn't understand, and never will," 22 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of italic

1676

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

ITALIC Defined for English Language Learners

italic

adjective

Definition of italic for English Language Learners

: having letters, numbers, etc., that slant upward to the right
Italic : of or relating to ancient Italy, the people who lived there, or the languages spoken there