Spanish Conversation · Level 80
60 words
Spanish word
bobo
Pronunciation
IPA/ˈboβo/
Meaning
- adjectivesilly
Example
No seas bobo.
Don't be silly.
More examples
Ante la broma, se quedó bobo.
He was left dumbfounded by the joke.
Core concept
Naive, easily deceived person.
Common phrases
quedarse bobo
be left dumbfounded
ser tan bobo
be so silly
ponerse bobo
become silly
Similar words
tonto: Demonstrates poor reasoning on simple matters, lacking quickness of thought.
distraído: Attention wanders during activities, causing mistakes from inattention.
despistado: Tends to lose track of time or items and misses cues from the environment.
ingenuo: Genuinely trusting and unguarded, prone to accept others' claims.
Definition in Spanish
Describe a una persona que actúa de forma poco inteligente o torpe, mostrando ingenuidad en su juicio.
Word origin
Derived from medieval Latin balbus 'stammer', the word developed the sense 'simpleton' in Romance languages and entered Spanish as bobo.
Usage tips
- Softer than tonto in many contexts, bobo emphasizes gullibility or childlike naivety rather than harsh stupidity.
Other meanings
- foolnoun
Opposites
- sensatosensibleadjective
Related words
- bobismosillinessnoun
- bobearact sillyverb