italic

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

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 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
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

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

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

In Word, for example, the Touch Bar will display formatting options such as bolding, italics, underlining, font sizes, and text alignment.

— jon brodkin, Ars Technica, "Mac virtualization: Parallels and VMware want you to buy new versions," 22 Aug. 2017
In pages filled with exclamation points and swimming in italics, Owen reprises his cases with enthusiasm and empathy, explaining just enough science for the experiments to make sense.

— george johnson, New York Times, "A Pioneering Neuroscientist Reports From ‘the Border of Life and Death’," 22 Aug. 2017
The fonts for player names and uniform numbers have been updated and italics have been completely removed.

— joe freeman, OregonLive.com, "Portland Trail Blazers unveil new Nike uniforms," 29 July 2017
Let’s look at the pertinent regulations, excerpted below (with my italics).

— andrew c. mccarthy, National Review, "Sessions, Trump, and the ‘Counterintelligence’ Confusion," 26 July 2017
Here’s the gist (my italics): Consider, for example, the period from 1994 to 2008, when per capita incarceration rose every year.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Why Republicans Let Trump Take Over Their Party," 7 July 2017
One reason McKenzie is such a fun protagonist is that Housewright uses the device of McKenzie’s inner voice talking to him in italics.

— mary ann grossmann, Twin Cities, "Ex-cop ‘Rush’ McKenzie back at it in 14th book in mystery series," 3 June 2017
Placed in italics and bordered with a top and bottom line, this introduction served to frame the information to come.

— samantha nolan, cleveland.com, "May Makeover Series: Make the most of your first impression," 20 May 2017
NBC's fall schedule (new shows in bold, new time slots in italics; all times ET/PT): Monday: 8, The Voice; 10, The Brave.

— gary levin, USA TODAY, "NBC sets new lineup, return of 'must-see' Thursdays with 'This Is Us' move," 14 May 2017

First Known Use of italic

1676

ITALIC Defined for English Language Learners

italic

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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