1
a
: of or relating to a type style with characters that slant upward to the right (as in "these words are italic") compare roman
b
: of or relating to a style of slanted cursive handwriting developed in the 15th and 16th centuries
2
capitalized
: of or relating to ancient Italy, its peoples, or their Indo-European languages
1
: an italic character or type
2
capitalized
: a branch of the Indo-European language family that includes Latin, Oscan, and Umbrian see Indo-European Languages Table
Examples of italic in a Sentence
Noun
These words are printed in italic.
The type should be set in italics.
These words are printed in italics.
Recent Examples on the Web
Nilay Patel, The Verge, 17 Jan. 2023
Researchers found that bolded text has a higher recall than text in italic or regular styles, regardless of the font size.
—Carla Delgado, Discover Magazine, 9 Oct. 2021
Randy Boyagoda, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2024
But Satoshi does use italics, and the asterisks sometimes can create italics in the post.
—Jon Sarlin, CNN, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for italic 
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Adjective
Just to put a pin in it, highlight it, circle it, bold, italic, and underline that inversion.
—Nilay Patel, The Verge, 17 Jan. 2023
Researchers found that bolded text has a higher recall than text in italic or regular styles, regardless of the font size.
—Carla Delgado, Discover Magazine, 9 Oct. 2021
Noun
In the first-person sections, set off in italics, he’s been speaking to the AI, not us, the whole time.
—Randy Boyagoda, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2024
But Satoshi does use italics, and the asterisks sometimes can create italics in the post.
—Jon Sarlin, CNN, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for italic
Dictionary Entries Near italic
Cite this Entry
“Italic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/italic. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
italic
1 of 2 adjective
ital·ic
ə-ˈtal-ik 
i-,
ī-
1
capitalized
: of or relating to ancient Italy, its peoples, or their Indo-European languages
2
: of, relating to, or being a type style with characters that slant upward to the right (as in "these words are italic")
italic
2 of 2 noun
: an italic character or type
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