Meanings
- uncountableVigour or vivacity.
He lay tossing restlessly on a dirty old straw palliasse, and was in great pain; but greeted his friend with a dash of the old brio.
1917, Henry Handel Richardson, Australia Felix, Part II Chapter I1 more example
And as if to undermine their authority still further, Welsh Philpott in his innocence has made the error of placing Rick beside the pulpit in the very spot from which in the past he has read us the day's lesson with such brio and persuasion.
1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy
Synonyms & antonyms
nounquality of being active or spirited or alive and vigorous
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Celtic*brīgos
- Spanishbrío
- Italianbrio“finesse, talent”
- Englishbrio
From Italian brio (“finesse, talent”), from Spanish brío, ultimately from Proto-Celtic *brīgos.
More words from Italian, Spanish, Proto-Celtic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
German Elan, Feuer
- Elanvigour or vivacity
- Feuervigour or vivacity
- Schwungvigour or vivacity
Russian жи́вость
- жи́вость (žívostʹ)vigour or vivacity
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
brio. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brio
“brio.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brio. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “brio,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/brio.
Source: brio on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.