italic

/ɪˈtælɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪˈtælɪk/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈta-lik i-, ī-/ (ame, mw)

italicpositive
more italiccomparative
most italicsuperlative

1.形容詞B1

釋義

describes letters or type that lean to the right, used to give certain words more importance or to show that they are titles, foreign words, or quoted material.

例句

The teacher asked us to write the title in italic script for our book reports.

collocation: italic script / italic letters / italic type

Kasia's name appeared in italic letters at the bottom of the announcement.

同義詞

slanted
more general term — slanted type simply leans, whereas italic is a specifically designed type style with curved letterforms
oblique
a slanted version of a roman typeface without the curved letter shapes that true italic has; less common in everyday use

反義詞

roman
upright type with no slant — the standard default style
upright
plain term for type that does not lean

文法句型

italic + noun

be + italic

用法筆記

Often used in the plural noun form 'italics' rather than the adjective: 'The titles were in italics' is more common than 'The titles were italic.'

常見錯誤

❌The title should be in italic font.

✅The title should be in italics.

💡'italics' (plural noun) is the standard way to refer to the type style itself.

❌I wrote the word in italic.

✅I wrote the word in italics.

💡When talking about the style as a thing, use the plural noun instead of the adjective.

1.名詞B1

釋義

a single character or a complete set of type that leans to the right, used when writing or printing to make words stand out from regular text.

例句

The editor marked all the foreign words in italics so that readers would notice them.

plural form: 'in italics' for highlighting

Please change this paragraph to italic so that it matches the rest of the chapter.

singular: 'change to italic' as a style name

反義詞

roman
the standard upright type style
regular type
plain text without slant or bold formatting

文法句型

in italics

use italics

put + object + in italics

用法筆記

In the plural form 'italics,' it refers to the style in general ('The titles are in italics'). In the singular 'an italic' or 'italic,' it refers to one character or one typeface design.

常見錯誤

❌I used italic to emphasize the word.

✅I used italics to emphasize the word.

💡The noun referring to the style is almost always plural ('italics').

❌Please put the title in italic.

✅Please put the title in italics.

💡The set phrase is 'in italics' with the plural noun.

2.名詞B2

釋義

a style of personal handwriting in which the letters lean to the right, often taught as a neat, flowing, and efficient way to write by hand.

例句

Leo learned italic at school and now writes all his notes in that style.

collocation: learn / write in italic (handwriting)

The calligraphy class focused on italic because of its clean, flowing look.

同義詞

cursive
connected handwriting with joined letters — italic can be cursive or semi-joined, but cursive specifically implies linking every letter
script
a general term for any handwriting style that imitates printed or calligraphic letterforms

反義詞

print script
handwriting where letters are not joined and stand separately, usually upright
block letters
separate, upright capital letters used for form-filling or signs

文法句型

write + in + italic

learn + italic

用法筆記

Unlike the typographic sense (noun/1), this sense is always uncountable and refers to a handwriting method, not a printed font. It is often taught as an alternative to traditional cursive.

常見錯誤

❌I write in italics for my diary.

✅I write in italic for my diary.

💡The handwriting style is uncountable singular ('italic'), not the plural 'italics.'

❌Italic handwriting is the same as cursive.

✅Italic handwriting is different from cursive

💡italic letters do not always join up.' — Learners often confuse these two types of slanted handwriting.

italic

italic — adjective

1. describes letters or type that lean to the right, used to give certain words mor

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

italic — noun

1. a single character or a complete set of type that leans to the right, used when

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

2. a style of personal handwriting in which the letters lean to the right, often ta

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤