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sprezzatura

ˌsprɛtsəˈtʊrənoun

What does sprezzatura mean?

Making something difficult look effortless.

Sprezzatura, six ways

PlainMaking something difficult look effortless.
ADHDEffortless. (It wasn’t.) Hides the work.
Gen ZWhen someone makes it look easy and you know it took years.
MetaphorA swan: still above the water, paddling hard below.
FormalStudied carelessness; the art of concealing effort so that a thing seems done without thought.
Like I’m 5Doing something hard and making it look super easy. That’s sprezzatura.

How to pronounce sprezzatura

spret-suh-TOO-ruh/ˌsprɛtsəˈtʊrə/

Sprezzatura in a sentence

He tied the scarf with real sprezzatura.
He plays piano with total sprezzatura.
Sprezzatura is the art of hiding the art.

Synonyms for sprezzatura

nonchalanceCalm, without the skill.
effortlessnessPlainer.
graceEase of movement and manner.

Where sprezzatura comes from

Italian. Coined by Baldassare Castiglione in The Book of the Courtier, 1528, for the art of making hard things look easy.

Good to know

Studied carelessness that makes the hard look easy. Today it is used most in fashion, for the tie left a little crooked on purpose.

Sprezzatura meaning, on a Gloss card: Making something difficult look effortless.

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In: Untranslatable words · Words for people · Words with a story