heypolyglot
Italian

cervellone

/tʃer.velˈlo.ne/noun · masculineB2
Extended vocabulary · Vocabulary rank 31,348

Meaning

brainiac, genius

  • An exceptionally clever, intelligent, or intellectually gifted person.
  • A large central computer or mainframe.

In a sentence

Chiedi a Marco: è lui il cervellone della classe.

Ask Marco: he's the class brainiac.

Non serve essere un cervellone per capire queste semplici istruzioni.

You don't need to be a genius to understand these simple instructions.

La nuova assunta si è rivelata un vero cervellone in matematica.

The new hire turned out to be a real math whiz.

Word forms (2)
WordWord forms
cervellonemasculine · singular
cervellonimasculine · plural

Usage notes

  • Informal: commonly used to tease or praise someone very clever.
  • Formed from 'cervello' (brain) with the augmentative suffix '-one'.

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