Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dolce far niente

/ˌdoʊltʃeɪ ˌfɑɹ niˈɛnteɪ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.82 in modern English

Syllables: dol-ce far nien-te
IPA: /ˌdoʊltʃeɪ ˌfɑɹ niˈɛnteɪ/

20

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

3

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Sheer indulgent relaxation and blissful laziness, the enjoyment of idleness.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"1882, W. S. Gilbert, Iolanthe This gentleman is seen, / With a maid of seventeen, / A-taking of his dolce far niente; / And wonders he'd achieve, / For he asks us to believe / She's his mother—and he's nearly five-and-twenty!"
"We should so organize our rank and mobilize our forces that our influence may not be dissipated before the advancing hosts of quackery and ignorance. This we can do effectively if only the wise and successful ones among our leaders can be induced to forgo the dolce far niente of the noontime of their lives."

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian dolce far niente (literally “sweet doing nothing, sweet idleness”).

Origin

Source language: Italian

Word Breakdown

Root: dolce far niente

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌdoʊltʃeɪ ˌfɑɹ niˈɛnteɪ/
British English: /ˌdɒltʃeɪ ˌfɑː nɪˈɛnteɪ/

Usage

Uncountable

Phrases

dolce vita billet-doux

Frequently Paired Words

dolce vita dulcet billet-doux

Rhymes With

plenty twenty venti al dente pentimenti genty benty

Questions

How do you pronounce dolce far niente?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌdoʊltʃeɪ ˌfɑɹ niˈɛnteɪ/.
What does dolce far niente mean?: Sheer indulgent relaxation and blissful laziness, the enjoyment of idleness.
Where does dolce far niente come from?: It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce dolce far niente

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