Meaning
crime, murder
- crime, felony
- murder, homicide
In a sentence
Ha commesso un delitto gravissimo ed è finito in prigione.
He committed a very serious crime and ended up in prison.
Hanno risolto il delitto in pochi giorni.
They solved the murder in a few days.
Ma quale delitto? Hai solo sbagliato strada.
What crime? You just took the wrong road.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| delitto | masculine · singular |
| delitti | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use delitto mainly for serious crimes, especially in legal or news contexts; reato is broader and more neutral for any offense.
- For everyday “crime,” crimine is common in general talk; delitto sounds more formal or specific.
- In modern Italian, the “sin” meaning is literary or old-fashioned; use peccato in normal speech.