virtuosity

noun

vir·​tu·​os·​i·​ty ˌvər-chü-ˈä-sə-tē 

plural virtuosities

1

: great technical skill (as in the practice of a fine art)

2

: a taste for or interest in virtu

Did you know?

Virtuosity is used particularly to describe musicians, but also often for writers, actors, dancers, and athletes. A virtuoso is a highly skilled performer, and a virtuoso performance is one that astonishes the audience by its feats. In ancient Greece the cities would hold male competitions in acrobatics, conjuring, public reciting, blowing the trumpet, and acting out scenes from Homer's epics, the winners of which would have been praised as virtuous, or "full of manly virtues".

Examples of virtuosity in a Sentence

Her virtuosity on the piano is amazing.

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, his technical virtuosity and knack for making fashion headlines attracted the attention of luxury titan Bernard Arnault, who tapped him in 1995 to succeed Hubert de Givenchy upon his retirement, moving the designer to Dior a year later. —Miles Socha, WWD, 11 Dec. 2024

Ross stages the action with a choreographic virtuosity that’s all the more astonishing given that this is his first dramatic film. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2024

Peled is an optimist and a dreamer, qualities needed around here as much as his virtuosity. —Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 19 Nov. 2024

But riskiness comes at a price: For all their virtuosity, his films have yet to break through to the mainstream. —Daniel D'addario, Variety, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

virtuosity

noun

vir·​tu·​os·​i·​ty ˌvər-chə-ˈwäs-ət-ē 

plural virtuosities

: great performing ability in the fine arts