verismo

noun

ve·​ris·​mo vā-ˈrēz-(ˌ)mō How to pronounce verismo (audio)

Examples of verismo in a Sentence

the author of this crime novel uses profuse profanity in the name of verismo, but its effectiveness palls after a couple of chapters
Recent Examples on the Web The passions are vintage verismo. Justin Davidson, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2021 On his debut album, Jonathan Tetelman lavishes his sumptuous tenor and almost poetic attention on classic Romantic and verismo arias. New York Times, 22 Dec. 2022 This is a far cry from Verga’s verismo and prompts the reflection that when one is trapped in a drastically dysfunctional relationship, the solution might be distance. Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 23 Feb. 2021 Influenced by French literary circles, the Italian verismo movement considered the real world worth representing. Christy Thomas, Detroit Free Press, 4 Apr. 2018 Perhaps the Met carefully planned this deep dive into verismo, that blood-and-guts, heart-on-sleeve, homicidally inclined genre of Italian potboiler that flourished around the turn of the 20th century. Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2018 Dr. Contino, who specialized in the visceral, unsentimental realism of Italian verismo opera, was also a music professor and vocal coach, but was best known as an acclaimed conductor. Sam Roberts, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2017 There was hardly any Puccini, there was hardly any bel canto and no verismo. Colleen Barry, The Seattle Times, 31 May 2017 In the decades after the composer’s death in 1901, performances of Verdi’s operas began to fester with the most aggressive excesses of the verismo style that was gaining steam in his final years. Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2016

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'verismo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian — more at verism

First Known Use

circa 1908, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of verismo was circa 1908

Dictionary Entries Near verismo

Cite this Entry

“Verismo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verismo. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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