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verbverb

commuovere

move

Provare o far nascere un sentimento forte di tristezza o tenerezza nel cuore di qualcuno.

Definition & meaning

Commuovere means to move someone emotionally, touch, or deeply affect them, often by inspiring tenderness, compassion, or sadness.

It can also be used reflexively: commuoversi means to be moved or to become emotional.

  • Il discorso ha commosso tutti. — “The speech moved everyone.”
  • Mi sono commossa guardando il film. — “I was moved watching the film.”

Grammar & Word origin

Commuovere is a transitive verb in the -ere conjugation group. It is irregular, like muovere . Its forms include commuovo (“I move emotionally”) and the past participle commosso .

The reflexive form is commuoversi .

It comes from Latin commovēre, formed from com- (“together, thoroughly”) and movēre (“to move”). Its literal sense of setting something in motion developed into the emotional meaning.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms include:

  • toccare — “to touch”; can mean emotionally affect someone, but is broader and also has physical meanings.
  • emozionare — “to move or excite emotionally”; more general and not necessarily as tender or poignant.
  • intenerire — “to soften or fill with tenderness”; emphasizes affection or tenderness.
  • scuotere — “to shake or deeply affect”; often suggests a stronger, more unsettling impact.

There is no single exact antonym. Depending on context, lasciare indifferente (“to leave unmoved”) is a direct opposite. Restare impassibile (“to remain unmoved”) describes a person’s lack of emotional response.

Common phrases & collocations

  • commuovere profondamente — to move deeply
  • commuoversi fino alle lacrime — to be moved to tears
  • un gesto commovente — a touching gesture
  • una storia commovente — a moving story

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Examples

Il film ha commosso molte persone in sala.verb

The movie moved many people in the theater.

Le sue parole sincere mi hanno profondamente commosso.verb

His sincere words have deeply moved me.

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