15 Impressive Italian Insults and Curses

Amore mio, cappuccino, bravo, novella, gelato, cannoli. Sure, the Italian language is full of romantic, beautiful, mouth-watering words. But forget about them—as you’re about to find out, Italian is also full of nasty but creative insults and curses that really pack a punch.

Stronzo/a // “Turd”  

Is your date playing with your feelings? Stronzo (or stronza for a woman) might be an appropriate word to describe this person: It means “turd,” and Italians have worked it into all manner of delightful expressions. If your girlfriend shouts “You’re fat and ugly!” at you in front of everybody, for example, your Italian friends might say, “Che stronza!”, which translates to “what a turd!”

Italians might also say, “Il mio capo è uno grandissimo stronzo” (“my boss is a massive turd”) when expressing their love for their employer, or “Guarda sto stronzo” (“look at this turd”) when someone cuts them off on the road.

Italians have the Longobards, a Germanic people who ruled over the majority of the Italian peninsula between the 6th and 8th centuries, for this word. Stronzo originates from strunz, a Longobard word meaning “dung.”

Coglione/a // “Testicle”

Coglione comes from the Latin word coleous (“testicle”), and it’s commonly used in Italy as a slang term meaning … well, “testicle.” As an insult, Italians use it to say someone is “an idiot.” Foolishness has no gender boundaries in Italy, so cogliona is the word you’d use if you were referring to a woman.

Rompicoglioni // “Testicle breaker”

Rompi comes from the verb rompere (“to break”), and coglioni is the plural form of coglione. Combine them, and you get rompicoglioni, an insult Italians would hurl at you if you nag them or are too picky or fussy: The word—which literally translates to “testicle breaker” and more figuratively means “pain in the ass”—can apply to a partner who’s always whining about what you make for dinner or a neighbor who complains about everything you do. Whether you have testicles or not, you have the right to use this word if the situation requires it.

Cagaminchia (or Cagacazzo) // “Dick shitter”

Caga comes from cagare, a slang term meaning “to defecate.” Minchia  is a common slang word the Italian language borrowed from the Sicilian dialect. It means “penis,” as does cazzo. So, literally translated, both cagaminghia and cagacazzo mean “dick shitter,” but figuratively, they’re used in the same way as rompicoglioni—to mean “pain in the ass.”

Testa di cazzo // “Dickhead”

This literally translates into “head of dick.” Italians use it in the same way English speakers use dickhead.

Rompicazzo // “Dick breaker”

Why the male reproductive organs are always taking the stage in Italy, we don’t know. Rompicazzo is another alternative to rompicoglioni, and Italians use it all the time.

Pezzo di merda // “Piece of shit” 

This insult is commonly used in English as well. For extra drama, Italians may pronounce pezzo di merda by making a longer “m” sound at the beginning of merda so it sounds like “PET-so di MMMMER-da!”

Ma vai a cagare // “You go shit”

Ma vai a cagare literally means “you go shit,” but figuratively, it means something like “piss off!” and “get lost!” Italians may use it to brutally end an argument with someone they disagree with, as a response to someone who’s making fun of them, or when they’re being insulted. Sitting on a toilet bowl is apparently what Italians believe unpleasant people should do. Speaking of toilets ...

Cesso // “Toilet”

Cesso is a slang term literally meaning “toilet” that can be applied to almost anything. Say an Italian saw a movie that didn’t meet their expectations—they might declare “quel film era proprio un cesso” (“that film was a load of shit”) when leaving the theater. The term is also often used when gossiping; here’s an example:

Marco: “Che brutta la sua nuova ragazza!” (“How ugly his new girlfriend is!")
Luca: “Mamma mia, è un cesso!” (“Mamma mia, she’s a dog.”)
Monica: “Sì ma anche lui è un cesso.” (“Yes but he’s fugly too.”)

Uomo di merda // “Man of shit”

If you’re a man who disrespects women, if you’re dishonest, or if you lack courage, Italians have an insult for you: un uomo di merda, meaning “man of shit.” The phrase is also frequently (and proudly!) used in stadiums.

Leccaculo // “Ass-licker”

This is a term that’s useful when you’re gossiping about colleagues who love to suck up to the boss—Italians use it in the same way English speakers use brown noser.

Vaffanculo! // “Fuck you!”

How do you say “fuck you,” “fuck off,” or “go fuck yourself” in Italian? You can use the expression vai a prenderlo nel culo, which essentially means “get fucked.” But if you’re pressed for time, you could just use one word: vaffanculo. This is one of the most widely known Italian insults, and there are a number of common variations all meaning the same thing used across the Bel Paese, including:

• Vai a fanculo!
• Vai a fare in culo!
• Vai affanculo!
• Vattene a fare in culo!
• Vattene affanculo!

Figlio di puttana // “Son of a whore” 

Figlio di puttana—which translates to “son of a whore”—can be directed at dishonest, corrupt, unscrupulous people. Be careful, though: Italians love their moms so much that hurling this insult might lead to a fight—so use it responsibly.

Scemo (di merda) // “Idiot (of shit)”

Scemo is a common Italian word meaning “idiot.” Italians may add di merda (“of shit”) to rudely emphasize how totally inept someone is.

Deficiente // “Deficient”

Deficient in what, you might be wondering? That would be intelligence. Italians might use this mild insult as an alternative to idiota (“idiot”) or scemo.

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