Forte Definition & Meaning

American

British

Cultural

Pronunciation

Pop Culture

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Etymology

Examples

Synonyms forte 1 American [fawrt, fohrt, fawr-tey] / fɔrt, foʊrt, ˈfɔr teɪ /

noun

1. a person's strong suit, or most highly developed characteristic, talent, or skill; something that one excels in.

   I don't know what her forte is, but it's not music.

   Synonyms: bent, knack, proficiency, specialty, strong suit, strength, excellence, skill, talent

2. the stronger part of a sword blade, between the middle and the hilt (foible ).

forte 2 American [fawr-tey, fawr-te] / ˈfɔr teɪ, ˈfɔr tɛ /

adjective

1. (a direction in a musical score or part) loud; with force (piano ).

adverb

1. (a direction in a musical score or part) loudly.

noun

1. a passage that is loud and played with force or is marked to be so. f

forte 1 British / ˈfɔːteɪ, fɔːt /

noun

1. something at which a person excels; strong point

   cooking is my forte

2. fencing the stronger section of a sword blade, between the hilt and the middle Compare foible

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 forte 2 British / ˈfɔːtɪ /

adjective

1. f. loud or loudly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

1. a loud passage in music

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 forte Cultural

1. A musical direction meaning “to be performed loudly”; the opposite of piano.

Pronunciation

In the sense of a person's strong suit ( He draws well, but sculpture is his real forte ), the older and historical pronunciation of forte is the one-syllable or , pronounced as the English word fort. The word is derived from the French word fort, meaning “strong.” A two-syllable pronunciation is increasingly heard, especially from younger educated speakers, perhaps owing to confusion with the musical term forte, pronounced in English as and in Italian as . Both the one- and two-syllable pronunciations of forte are now considered standard.

Pop Culture

—FORTE: An acronym for Fast On-orbit Rapid Recording of Transient Events, FORTE is a lightweight satellite orbiting earth since August 1997. It is the first satellite made of an all-composite structure, and was designed to test new technologies for monitoring compliance with arms control treaties. —Forte: A character in the 1997 animated film Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas. The actor Tim Curry provided the voice for Forte, who is a pipe organ. —Kia Forte: A compact car manufactured by Kia Motors since 2008 and marketed worldwide.

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The common keyboard instrument the pianoforte (“piano” for short) got its name because it could play both soft and loud notes.

Etymology

Origin of forte1

First recorded in 1640–50; earlier fort, from Middle French noun use of adjective fort “strong, powerful”; fort; disyllabic pronunciation by association with forte 2

Origin of forte2

1715–25; < Italian < Latin fortis strong

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Those gatherings contrasted with more organized, massive rallies that have long been the forte of the Iran’s authorities.

From Los Angeles Times

Speed isn’t turtles’ forte and it’s not what keeps them safe; it’s their tough exterior.

From Los Angeles Times

The odds are stacked against Musetti, who is into the last eight at Melbourne for the first time, with clay and grass his usual forte.

From Barron's

Beating Fritz propelled Musetti, 23, into the last eight at Melbourne for the first time, with clay and grass his usual forte.

From Barron's

Mehta said that the case required him to “gaze into a crystal ball and look to the future,” something he felt was “no judge’s forte.”

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.