Definition of VIRTUOSITY

Did You Know?

Virtuosity is used particularly to describe musicians, but also often for writers, actors, dancers, and athletes. A virtuoso is a highly skilled performer, and a virtuoso performance is one that astonishes the audience by its feats. In ancient Greece the cities would hold male competitions in acrobatics, conjuring, public reciting, blowing the trumpet, and acting out scenes from Homer's epics, the winners of which would have been praised as virtuous, or "full of manly virtues".

Examples of virtuosity in a Sentence

Her virtuosity on the piano is amazing.

Recent Examples on the Web

At this time, nobody renders those with more sharpness and virtuosity than Lori McKenna, songwriter and singer. — Barry Mazor, WSJ, "‘The Tree’ Review: Fertile Country," 25 July 2018 Not that any of the composers specified so high a degree of power and virtuosity. — Alan Artner, chicagotribune.com, "Evgeny Kissin and the Emerson String Quartet ride the wave to a perfect ending," 16 Apr. 2018 Lady Gaga’s virtuosity may not constitute breaking news; what’s remarkable is her dramatic range. — Joe Morgenstern, WSJ, "‘A Star Is Born’ Review: A Brilliant Reincarnation," 1 Oct. 2018 Romeo — a taxing role — appears extensively throughout all three acts, with both heroic partnering and expansive dance virtuosity. — Alastair Macaulay, New York Times, "4 Buzzy ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Debuts, 1 Fainthearted Production," 15 June 2018 Today, Dolce & Gabbana attempted to reclaim control of its present by showing a collection that displayed its artistic and technical virtuosity to the full. — Luke Leitch, Vogue, "Dolce & Gabbana Presents an Alta Moda Lesson on Italian Art History," 8 Dec. 2018 Jones’ all-over-the-keys virtuosity dominates, but Penn is not shy about producing a fat tone and vivid attacks. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "Penn & Teller pianist Mike Jones cuts album with Penn on bass," 20 Mar. 2018 My kid could do this.’ Tate’s work lacks any obvious effort at virtuosity, but his central obsession — that chaos, often delivered at the hands of the natural world, is forever intruding on the mundane — will shake you. — New York Times, "New & Noteworthy," 19 June 2018 Where Tchaikovsky’s concerto dazzles with surface-level pyrotechnics, Mozart’s calls for more understated virtuosity. — Joshua Barone, New York Times, "Review: Lang Lang, Classical Music’s Superstar, Returns Quietly," 8 July 2018

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