mafioso

noun

ma·​fi·​o·​so ˌmä-fē-ˈō-(ˌ)sō 

ˌma-, 

-(ˌ)zō

plural mafiosi ˌmä-fē-ˈō-(ˌ)sē 

ˌma-, 

-(ˌ)zē

: a member of the Mafia or a mafia

Examples of mafioso in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hawkeye tussles with the Russian mafioso trying to drive residents out of his building, plus meets – and, to a degree, passes the bow-and-arrow to – young heroine Kate Bishop. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Even as mafioso talk took hold on Views and What a Time to Be Alive, romantic melodrama seemed to be the default setting. — Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 20 May 2026

The builders’ alternating harassment and bribery leaves Cook with little recourse, especially when mafioso-like representatives begin dropping by at all hours, leading to dry exchanges — what little dialogue the film has is extremely funny. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 19 Feb. 2026

According to a personal spokesperson, the erstwhile PayPal mafioso sold certain investments—Amazon, Meta, Elon Musk’s xAI—to take on his unpaid role. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from Italian dialect (Sicily) mafiusu gallant, swaggerer, perhaps alteration of marfusu scoundrel

First Known Use

1875, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mafioso

• amoroso
• furioso
• virtuoso

Kids Definition

mafioso

noun

ma·​fi·​o·​so ˌmäf-ē-ˈō-sō 

ˌmaf-, 

-zō

plural mafiosi -sē 

-zē

: a member of the Mafia