Meaning
man of letters, scholar
- man of letters, scholar, writer
In a sentence
Mio zio è un letterato molto curioso.
My uncle is a very curious scholar.
Dante è considerato il più illustre letterato della storia italiana.
Dante is considered the most illustrious man of letters in Italian history.
Non sono un letterato, ma leggo tanto.
I'm not a scholar, but I read a lot.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| letterato | masculine · singular |
| letterati | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- More literary and formal than studioso; use it for a man of letters or humanities intellectual, not for any academic.
- Often sounds old-fashioned or high-register in everyday speech; intellettuale or studioso is usually more natural.
- Masculine noun: il letterato, i letterati; feminine forms like letterata exist but are less common and can sound marked.