What does "capriccio" mean?

A sudden and unexpected or fantastic motion; a caper (from same etymology, see below); a gambol; a prank, a trick.

What is a synonym for "capriccio"?

Common synonyms include: lark, boutade, brainstorm, caper, caprice, conceit.

Pronounced //kəˈpɹiːt͡ʃoʊ//.

//kəˈpɹiːt͡ʃoʊ// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Noun

1
A sudden and unexpected or fantastic motion; a caper (from same etymology, see below); a gambol; a prank, a trick.
"She used to smile at my capriccios; and once she kissed me—actually."
2
an instrumental composition that doesn't adhere to rules for any specific musical form and is played with improvisation wordnet
3
A fantastical thing or work.
"Will this Capricio hold in thee, art ſure?"
4
A type of Renaissance landscape painting that places particular works of architecture in an unusual and often fictional setting.
"Above the drawing-room fireplace there was a painting by Guardi, a capriccio of Venice in a gilt rococo frame […]"
5
A piece of music, usually fairly free in form and of a lively character.
"The friar and Matilda had often sung duets together, and had been accustomed to the baron’s chiming in with a stormy capriccio, which was usually charmed into silence by some sudden turn in the witching melodies of Matilda."

"She used to smile at my capriccios; and once she kissed me—actually."

Borrowed from Italian capriccio. Doublet of caprice.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.