cercato

Cercato is the past participle of the Italian verb cercare, meaning to search or to seek. In Italian, cercare is a regular -are verb, and cercato appears in compound tenses formed with the auxiliary avere, as in ho cercato una soluzione (I searched for a solution). It can also appear in contexts that use the passive voice with essere, for example è stato cercato, though the passive is less common in everyday speech.

As an adjective, cercato can describe something that has been sought or desired. In this function it agrees with the noun it modifies in gender and number: un oggetto cercato (a sought-after object), una soluzione molto cercata (a solution that many have sought). The sense ranges from literal searching to figurative desirability, such as a product that is highly sought after.

Usage notes and synonyms: cercare expresses the act of looking for or trying to obtain something. When used to emphasize desirability, cercato is often paired with adverbs or noun phrases to convey level of demand. In some cases, ricercato is used as a synonym with a slightly more formal or literary tone, meaning both “sought-after” and “carefully researched.” The noun form ricercato exists primarily as a standalone noun meaning “wanted person” in legal or news contexts, whereas cercato is seldom used as a noun.

Etymology: cercare derives from Latin cercāre, with the past participle cercato forming part of the modern Italian verbal system. The word’s core meaning—search or seek—remains central across its uses.

See also: cercare, ricercare, ricerca, ricercato.