italicized

italicized — verb

1. to write or print a letter, word, or section of text using slanted letters (ital

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to write or print a letter, word, or section of text using slanted letters (italics) instead of upright ones, usually to show emphasis, mark a title, or indicate a foreign word or phrase.

Example

Folake checked her essay and decided to italicize every book title mentioned in it.

collocation: italicize + book title / film title

Foreign words like bon appétit are usually italicized in English academic papers.

passive form: be italicized (for foreign words)

Common collocations
  • italicize + title / word / name / heading
  • foreign word + be italicized
  • italicize + book title / film title / journal name
  • italicize + for emphasis
Synonyms
  • emphasize

    broader meaning — can be done through italics, bold, or other means; does not specify the formatting method

  • highlight

    informal — often refers to marking with a bright pen or making something visually stand out, not specifically through slanting

  • underscore

    older convention — means to draw a line under text; now mostly replaced by italicizing in digital documents

Grammar Patterns

italicize + noun phrase

be italicized

Usage Note

Commonly used in the passive form (be italicized) in style guides and formatting instructions. Titles of longer works (books, films, newspapers) and foreign words are typically italicized in English, while shorter works (articles, poems) usually appear in quotation marks.

Common Mistakes

Please put the film title in quote marks.
Please italicize the film title.
In modern academic writing, titles of longer works such as films and books are set in italics, not placed in quotation marks.
The author italicized the chapter titles by underlining them.
The author italicized the chapter titles by setting them in slanted type.
Underlining is a different formatting method; italicizing means the text itself is slanted, not just marked underneath.

Word family

  • italic
    adjectiveA2
  • italics
    nounB1
  • italicize
    verbB1
  • italicization
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

These five words all refer to ways of making text visually stand out, but they differ in the method and context. Italicize specifically means to use slanted type, common in academic and professional writing for titles and foreign words. Underline (drawing a line beneath text) was once standard in typewritten manuscripts but has largely been replaced by italics in digital documents. Bold makes text thicker and darker, often used for headings and key terms. Highlight (applying a bright colour behind the text) is informal and typical of note-taking or marking print materials. Emphasize is the broadest term — it covers any method (formatting, tone, word choice) and does not specify the means. A writer might say 'emphasize this point' and leave the formatting choice to the editor.

italicizeunderline ↗bold ↗highlight ↗emphasize ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in italics
  • for emphasis
  • as a formatting convention

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinItalianEnglish

The word comes from the Latin 'italicus', meaning 'Italian'. In 1501, the Italian printer Aldus Manutius introduced a new slanted typeface for his pocket-sized editions of classical texts. Because the style was associated with Italy, English speakers called it 'italic type' (from the Italian hand or chancery script). The verb 'italicize' emerged later, in the late 19th century, as a practical verb for writers and printers describing the action of setting text in that style.