al dente

/æl ˈdɛn.teɪ//æl ˈdɛn.ti/

adjective

Firm to the bite, cooked just right.

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OriginItalian al dente →
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Meanings

adjectiveal dente (comparative more al dente, superlative most al dente)

comparative more al dente · superlative most al dente

  1. usuallyvegetables; rice; beans; vegetables; rice; beansFirm to the bite, cooked just right.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveof pasta cooked so as to be firm when eaten

Similar
hard
Also see
hard

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Italianal dente
  2. Englishal dente

Borrowed from Italian al dente (literally “to the tooth”).

More words from Italian

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan al dente
  • al dentefirm
Chinese Cantonese 彈牙 /弹牙
  • 彈牙 /弹牙 (daan⁶ ngaa⁴)firm
Chinese Mandarin 耐嚼, 有嚼勁 /有嚼劲
  • 耐嚼 (nàijiáo)firm
  • 有嚼勁 /有嚼劲firm
  • 有嚼勁 /有嚼劲 (yǒu jiáojìn)firm
Dutch al dente
  • al dentefirm
Finnish al dente, kovankypsä
  • al dentefirm
  • kovankypsäfirm
French al dente
  • al dentefirm
German bissfest, al dente
  • bissfestfirm
  • al dentefirm
Greek αλ ντέντε
  • αλ ντέντε (al nténte)firm
Hindi अल देन्ते
  • अल देन्ते (al dente)firm
Indonesian al dente
  • al dentefirm
Italian al dente
  • al dentefirm
Japanese アルデンテ
  • アルデンテ (arudente)firm
Polish al dente
  • al dentefirm
Russian аль дэ́нтэ
  • аль дэ́нтэ (alʹ dɛ́ntɛ)firm
Swedish al dente
  • al dentefirm

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with al dente

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Cite this entry
APA

al dente. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/al%20dente

MLA

“al dente.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/al%20dente. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “al dente,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/al%20dente.

Source: al dente on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.