Italian edit

Etymology edit

Literally, to wish ill.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /voˈle.re ˈma.le/
  • Hyphenation: vo‧lé‧re‧mà‧le

Verb edit

volére male (first-person singular present vòglio male, first-person singular past historic vòlli male, past participle volùto male, first-person singular future vorrò male, second-person singular imperative vògli male, auxiliary avére)

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see volere,‎ male.
    • 1868, Giuseppe Galletti, Paolo Trompeo, “Tornata del 3 giugno 1852”, in Atti del parlamento subalpino - sessione del 1852[1], volume 5, Florence: Tipografia Eredi Botta, page 953:
      Mi rincresce che il signor ministro abbia forse male inteso, o abbia voluto male interpretare alcune mie espressioni.
      It's regrettable that the minister has perhaps misheard, or deliberately misinterpreted some of my statements.
      (literally, “I'm sorry that the lord minister has maybe erroneously heard, or has wanted to erroneously interpret some my statements.”)
  2. (transitive with a (+ person disliked) and optionally with di (+ reason for aversion)) to strongly dislike, to feel aversion of antipathy, to wish ill
    Antonym: volere bene
    • 13491353, Giovanni Boccaccio, “Giornata nona – Novella settima”, in Decameron; republished as Aldo Francesco Massera, editor, Il Decameron[2], Bari: Laterza, 1927:
      Chi mal ti vuol, mal ti sogna; tu ti fai molto di me pietoso, ma tu sogni di me quello che tu vorresti vedere
      Those Who wish you ill, dream your ills. You act really concerned towards me, but you dream about me what you would like to see
    • 1530, Pietro Bembo, “Libro secondo, Capitolo XIV [Second Book, chapter 14]”, in Gli asolani, published 1989:
      Anzi ti dico io bene che io mi credo, Gismondo, se io il risapessi, che io ne gli vorrei male
      In fact, Gismondo, I can tell you that I believe that, were I to learn of that, I would wish him ill for that
    • c. 1531 [1483], Francesco Berni, “Canto decimoquarto [Fourteenth Canto]”, in Orlando innamorato - Tomo II[3], Venice: Antonio Zatta e figli, remake of Orlando innamorato by Matteo M.a Bojardo, published 1785, section III, page 2, lines 5–8:
      Nè può se non da gran viltà venire ;
      Anzi da cosa fiera come quello
      Mostro d'ogni intelletto e pietà privo ,
      Che gliene vorrò mal mentre ch'io vivo .
      Nor can it [such an act] come from anything but great cowardice, especially from something as cruel as that monster, deprived of all reasoning and mercy, for which I will wish him ill as long as I live.
    • 1881, Giovanni Verga, “Capitolo 13”, in I Malavoglia:
      No! È don Michele che mi vuole male, te l’ho detto. Sta sempre a macchinar birbonate contro di me collo zio Santoro.
      No! Don Michele is the one who doesn't like me, I told you! He's always plotting tricks against me, together with uncle Santoro.

Conjugation edit


See also edit

Further reading edit

  • volere2 in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana