incredibile

Incredibile is an Italian word that functions as both an adjective and an adverb. As an adjective, it describes something extraordinary, remarkable, or hard to believe. As an adverb, it appears as incredibilmente to modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, intensifying the meaning (for example, incredibilmente difficile).

Etymology and form. Incredibile comes from the Latin incredibilis, formed from in- (not) + credibilis (believable). In Italian, adjectives ending in -e are invariable for gender and change only for number: singular incredibile and plural incredibili. The feminine and masculine singular forms are the same, while the plural is incredibili.

Usage and examples. In everyday language incredibile is used to express astonishment, admiration, or skepticism about something impressive or hard to believe. Examples include: è un risultato incredibile; una prestazione incredibile; una scoperta incredibile. The adverbial form, incredibilmente, is used to intensify statements: è incredibilmente difficile da realizzare. Common synonyms include straordinario, eccezionale, stupefacente, fantastico, while lexico-grammatical context can affect strength and formality.

Note. In media, literature and colloquial speech, incredibile appears frequently as a descriptive term or as part of quotations to convey strong emphasis. It is typically not used with literal statements of fact in formal writing, where more precise adjectives may be preferred, but it remains widely understood and versatile in Italian.