brio

noun

ˈbrē-(ˌ)ō 

: enthusiastic vigor : vivacity, verve

sings with brio

Synonyms

• beans
• bounce
• dash
• drive
• dynamism
• energy
• esprit
• gas
• get-up-and-go
• ginger
• go
• gusto
• hardihood
• juice
• life
• moxie
• oomph
• pep
• punch
• sap
• snap
• starch
• verve
• vigor
• vim
• vinegar
• vitality
• zing
• zip

Examples of brio in a Sentence

impressed the interviewers with his poise and brio

Recent Examples on the Web

The untethered, anarchic, comic brio of Robbins’ novels feels incompatible with today’s world, as though the intervening years have been explicitly designed to stamp out this spirit and replace it with something that can be bought and sold, something governable. —John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 22 Feb. 2025

At Atletico, his natural brio repeatedly slammed into the brick wall of Diego Simeone’s personality. —Jack Lang, The Athletic, 9 Feb. 2025

There’s nothing minor about Chablis’ role here: Ghee commands the stage with so much zest, brio and life that everything else feels sepia-toned by comparison. —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2024

Darcy’s singing may sometimes bring to mind the stentorian declamations of the Fall’s Mark E. Smith, but there’s also a strain of petulant hot-guy brio in his voice that a Strokes fan might recognize. —Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Italian

First Known Use

1731, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing brio

• con brio

Rhymes for brio

• io