View synonyms for forte

forte

[ fawrt, fohrt fawr-tey ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a person's strong suit, or most highly developed characteristic, talent, or skill; something that one excels in:
I don't know what her forte is, but it's not music.
Synonyms: bent, knack, proficiency, specialty, strong suit, excellence, skill, talent, strength
the stronger part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt ( foible ).

forte

[ fawr-tey; Italian fawr-te ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

(a direction in a musical score or part) loud; with force ( piano ).

adverb

(a direction in a musical score or part) loudly.

noun

a passage that is loud and played with force or is marked to be so. : f

forte

/ ˈfɔːteɪ; fɔːt /

noun

something at which a person excels; strong point
cooking is my forte
fencing the stronger section of a sword blade, between the hilt and the middle Compare foible

forte

/ ˈfɔːtɪ /

adjective

loud or loudly f

noun

a loud passage in music

forte

A musical direction meaning “to be performed loudly”; the opposite of piano .

Discover More

Pronunciation Note

In the sense of a person's strong suit ( He draws well, but sculpture is his real forte ), the older and historical pronunciation of forte is the one-syllable [fawrt] or [fohrt], pronounced as the English word fort. The word is derived from the French word fort, meaning “strong.” A two-syllable pronunciation [fawr, -tey] is increasingly heard, especially from younger educated speakers, perhaps owing to confusion with the musical term forte, pronounced in English as [fawr, -tey] and in Italian as [fawr, -te]. Both the one- and two-syllable pronunciations of forte are now considered standard.

Discover More

Notes

The common keyboard instrument the pianoforte (“ piano ” for short) got its name because it could play both soft and loud notes.

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of forte¹

First recorded in 1640–50; earlier fort, from Middle French noun use of adjective fort “strong, powerful”; fort; disyllabic pronunciation by association with forte ²

Origin of forte²

1715–25; < Italian < Latin fortis strong

Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of forte¹

C17: from French fort , from fort (adj) strong, from Latin fortis

Origin of forte²

C18: from Italian, from Latin fortis strong

Discover More

Example Sentences

The next morning, guests boarded private jets to Florence for the ceremony at the Forte di Belvedere, rented for a cool $400,000.

From The Daily Beast

Mumford Sons, “Hopeless Wanderer” That one time Jason Bateman, Ed Helms, Will Forte, and Jason Sudeikis had a jam session.

From The Daily Beast

The latest luxury hotel group to cave was Rocco Forte Hotels, which announced last month that in-room Wi-Fi is now free.

From The Daily Beast

If fashion is more your forte, there are even pieces of haute couture and sportswear in the show.

From The Daily Beast

Then, he engages in a full-on make-out session with his former SNL compadre Will Forte, sporting a bushy beard.

From The Daily Beast

An ear accustomed to the fine tone of a good violin will not now tolerate a bad piano-forte.

From Project Gutenberg

Et depuis ils allerent cotoyans la terre, en forte que le 21.

From Project Gutenberg

She was even allowed, through her friends, to procure a piano-forte, which afforded her many hours of recreation.

From Project Gutenberg

This is his great forte, and to hear him speak, sends a thrill through the whole system, and a tremor through the brain.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Conner taught the piano forte in the best families in the city of Philadelphia—among merchants, bankers, and professional men.

From Project Gutenberg

Fort Duquesne fortepiano

Browse