As languages evolve, experts regularly evaluate the newest additions, with those judged to be durable words or phrases being included in dictionaries’ latest editions.
Italian is no exception.
The compilers of Italy’s 107-year-old Zingarelli dictionary have recently revealed 10 ‘new’ Italian words that will be included in the 2025 edition.
Here’s a look at the new additions.
Overtourism
Among the new words, overtourism is a noun that has been used frequently by Italian media in recent years to refer to overcrowding issues in popular tourist destinations around the country, including Rome, Florence and Venice.
Zingarelli defines it as “overcrowding caused by an excessive influx of tourists in a location”.
Italian has a name for this – sovraffollamento – but media outlets have been known to prefer the English version.
Bubble tea
A beverage of Taiwanese origin, bubble tea contains milk, tea, and tapioca pearls: translucent edible spheres produced from tapioca, a starch made from the cassava root, which are chewed while sipping.
Zingarelli describes it as a “trendy drink to enjoy in your free time,” but warns drinkers “not to overindulge” in it as it’s a highly processed type of beverage.
Shrinkflation
Shrinkflation refers to a common commercial tactic consisting of reducing the amount or volume of a certain product in a package, while keeping the same package and price as before.
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Reports of shrinkflation are far from rare in reports from Italian consumer associations.
Catfishing
Catfishing refers to the practice of pretending to be someone else online or on social media accounts in order to trick another person, usually to commit fraud or mislead a victim into an online romantic relationship.
In English, a person engaging in the practice would be referred to as a catfish. However, the term does not translate in Italian – pesce gatto is only used to refer to the relevant fish species.
A catfish would more than likely be called a truffatore (scammer) in Italy.
Escape room
An escape room is a game in which a team of players are required to discover clues, solve puzzles, and accomplish tasks in order to escape a room they’ve been shut in.
The popularity of the game has increased significantly around Italy in recent years.
There are many escape room facilities in major Italian cities. Some of the more popular ones include The Impossible Society Escape Room in Milan and Game Over in Florence.
Hype
Similarly to the English term, hype refers to an aggressive marketing strategy generally carried out through advertising aimed at raising interest around a certain product or piece of entertainment such as a TV show or film.
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An Italian synonym is clamore but many media outlets and speakers prefer the English term over it nowadays.
Maranza
Maranza (hear its Italian pronunciation here) was used frequently in Italy back in the 1980s to describe young men coming from run-down suburban areas and engaging in vulgar and/or rude behaviour.
According to Zingarelli, the term has seen something of a resurgence in recent years and is mainly used by speakers to indicate young street gang members or, in a wider sense, youths characterised by coarse and brash manners.
Gieffino
The word gieffino refers to a competitor on TV show Il Grande Fratello (the Italian version of Big Brother), who goes on to become a media personality.
Gieffini is the plural form.
Like maranza, this word is not completely new. It was included in the Treccani dictionary in 2012.
Andrea Cocco, winner of the Italian show’s 11th edition, could be described as a gieffino.
Fattanza
The noun fattanza is the equivalent of the English noun ‘high’ – specifically a high given by drugs.
Neurodivergenza
Like the English word ‘neurodivergence’, neurodivergenza describes a divergence in mental or neurological function from what is considered typical or normal.
The word was included in the 2025 dictionary edition to highlight “a greater attention to inclusive terminology” according to the Zanichelli publishing company, which publishes the Zingarelli dictionary.
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