italic

italic — adjective

1. describes letters or type that lean to the right, used to give certain words mor

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes letters or type that lean to the right, used to give certain words more importance or to show that they are titles, foreign words, or quoted material.

Example

The teacher asked us to write the title in italic script for our book reports.

collocation: italic script / italic letters / italic type

Kasia's name appeared in italic letters at the bottom of the announcement.

Common collocations
  • italic script
  • italic letters
  • italic type
  • italic font
  • italic handwriting
  • italic version
Synonyms
  • slanted

    more general term — slanted type simply leans, whereas italic is a specifically designed type style with curved letterforms

  • oblique

    a slanted version of a roman typeface without the curved letter shapes that true italic has; less common in everyday use

Antonyms
  • roman

    upright type with no slant — the standard default style

  • upright

    plain term for type that does not lean

Grammar Patterns

italic + noun

be + italic

Usage Note

Often used in the plural noun form 'italics' rather than the adjective: 'The titles were in italics' is more common than 'The titles were italic.'

Common Mistakes

The title should be in italic font.
The title should be in italics.
'italics' (plural noun) is the standard way to refer to the type style itself.
I wrote the word in italic.
I wrote the word in italics.
When talking about the style as a thing, use the plural noun instead of the adjective.

italic — noun

Word family

  • italics
    nounB1
  • italicize
    verbB2
  • italicized
    adjectiveB2
  • italicization
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe type or writing that leans, but they differ in precision. 'Italic' is a specific typeface design with curved, calligraphic letterforms — it is not simply type pushed at an angle. 'Oblique' describes a roman typeface that has been mechanically slanted without redesigning the letter shapes; many digital fonts offer an 'oblique' option that is cheaper than a true italic. 'Slanted' is a general, non-technical term for anything placed at an angle — you can use it when you do not need to name the typeface style. 'Cursive' overlaps with italic only in the handwriting sense: cursive writing connects every letter, whereas italic handwriting may leave some letters unjoined. For example, a newspaper headline might say 'the text is slanted,' while a designer would specify 'use the italic version, not the oblique,' and a calligraphy teacher would demonstrate an italic hand that is quite different from standard cursive.

italic ↗oblique ↗slantedcursive

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • set in italics
  • printed in italics
  • put in italics
  • change to italic

Prepositions

  • in italic
  • in italics

Etymology

LatinItalianEnglish

Comes from Latin 'italicum' meaning 'Italian.' The type style is named after Italy because the first italic typeface was designed and used by the Italian printer Aldus Manutius in Venice around 1500. He created a slanted, compact type to fit more words on a page. Later, the same name was applied to a slanted handwriting style that became popular in European schools.