riviera

R1I1V4I1E1R1A1
/ˌɹɪviˈɛɹə//ɹɪvˈjɛɹə/

noun

Any coastal area popular with tourists.

OriginItalian riviera ← Old French riviere ← Early Medieval Latin rīpāria →
CommonScrabble 10
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Meanings

riviera1

nounriviera (plural rivieras)

plural rivieras

  1. Any coastal area popular with tourists.

Riviera2

proper nounthe Riviera
  1. A region of Europe, on the Mediterranean; The coastal area of southern France (French Riviera) and north-western Italy (Italian Riviera) between Cannes and La Spezia.

    Sounding like the real estate developer he once was, Mr. Trump vowed to turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

    2025 February 4, Peter Baker, Michael D. Shear, Isabel Kershner, quoting Donald Trump, “Trump Proposes U.S. Takeover of Gaza and Says Palestinians Should Move”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
    1 more example

    Once, and assignment sent him down to the Riviera—the wealthy beach resort area in the south of France—where he not only burned through his budget but ruined a borrowed camera by trying to shoot scenes underwater.

    2017, Marina Budhos and Marc Aronson, Eyes of the World: Robert Capa, Gerda Taro & The Invention of Modern Photojournalism, pages 7-8
proper noun
  1. A district and municipality therein in Ticino canton, Switzerland.
  2. A suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa.
  3. A census-designated place and unincorporated community in Kleberg County, Texas, United States.

Origin

riviera · noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁reyp-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁réyp-eh₂
  3. Proto-Italic*reipā
  4. Latinrīpa
  5. Latinrīpārius
  6. Early Medieval Latinrīpāria
  7. Old Frenchriviere
  8. Italianriviera
  9. Englishriviera

From Italian riviera, from Old French riviere, from Latin riparius. Doublet of river and rivière.

More words from Italian, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Riviera · proper noun, proper noun

  1. Latinriparius
  2. Old Frenchriviere
  3. Italianriviera
  4. EnglishRiviera

From Italian riviera, from Old French riviere, from Latin riparius.

More words from Italian, Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian Ривие́ра
  • Ривие́ра (Riviéra)region of Europe

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with riviera

SaraherasierraSaraterramadeiraCeraCalerarancherapastieraquinceañera
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

riviera. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/riviera

MLA

“riviera.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/riviera. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “riviera,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/riviera.

Source: riviera on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.