Italian · Insults
Cornuto!
kor-NOO-to · /korˈnu.to/
Cuckold — your partner is cheating on you
4/5 Fighting words
aimed at a person, will start something
Literally
"Horned one"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Deeper than it sounds to English ears. To call a man "cornuto" is to say his wife is unfaithful and he's too oblivious to know — an attack on his honor, and in the south historically among the gravest things you can say. It fuels stadium chants, road rage, and the matching "corna" hand gesture (two fingers as horns). Handle with care.
Heard in the wild
Arbitro cornuto!
You cuckold of a referee!
Where it lands
Universal; carries extra weight in the south
Quick answers
- What does "Cornuto!" mean?
- In Italian, "Cornuto!" means "Cuckold — your partner is cheating on you". Literally it's "Horned one". Deeper than it sounds to English ears. To call a man "cornuto" is to say his wife is unfaithful and he's too oblivious to know — an attack on his honor, and in the south historically among the gravest things you can say. It fuels stadium chants, road rage, and the matching "corna" hand gesture (two fingers as horns). Handle with care.
- Is "Cornuto!" offensive?
- Yes — very. It rates 4/5 on the Punch-o-Meter (Fighting words). aimed at a person, will start something. Read the usage note before you even think about it.
- How do you pronounce "Cornuto!"?
- Say it "kor-NOO-to" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: korˈnu.to.
Related in Italian
Vaffanculo! vah-fahn-KOO-lo Fuck off! / Go to hell! Stronzo! STRON-tso Asshole! / Bastard! Coglione! kol-YO-nay Idiot / dumbass / sucker Testa di cazzo! TESS-tah dee KAHT-tso Dickhead / stupid asshole Figlio di puttana! FEEL-yo dee poot-TAH-nah Son of a bitch! Pezzo di merda! PET-tso dee MEHR-dah Piece of shit
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Screw you".
- French Enculé ! Motherf***er / bastard (one of the hardest personal insults)
- German Verpiss dich! Piss off! / Clear off (with force)!
- Greek άντε γαμήσου Go fuck yourself / get lost / piss off.
- Japanese クソ野郎 Piece of shit / shitty bastard
- Korean 개새끼 Son of a bitch / bastard — a real insult with no soft reading.
- Polish ty kurwo You whore / you bitch — the aimed kurwa, a different animal entirely.
- Portuguese Filho da puta Son of a bitch / bastard
- Russian Средний палец Screw you / the finger
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.