English Explanatory Dictionary

sprezzatura

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The art of performing a difficult task so gracefully that it looks effortless; calculated nonchalance.

Word forms

sprezzatura sprezzaturas

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian sprezzatura (“nonchalance”), which was coined by Baldassare Castiglione in 1528. The term gained currency in English in the mid-20th century, often to describe art.

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