Spanish word

comodín

Pronunciation

IPA/komoˈðin/

Meaning

  • masculine nounjoker

Example

En el mazo hay un comodín.

There is a joker in the deck.

Illustration for comodín (joker)

More examples

En el restaurante, el camarero hizo de comodín y ayudó en la cocina.

At the restaurant, the waiter acted as a stand-in and helped in the kitchen.

Core concept

Wildcard that fills missing roles.

Common phrases

  • hacer de comodín

    act as a stand-in

  • ser un comodín

    be a joker

Similar words

sustituto: Person or thing that substitutes for someone to perform a required role.
suplente: Person who temporarily fills an official position while the regular holder is absent.
reemplazo: Stand-in that replaces another to carry out needed duties.
carta: Single playing card that belongs to a deck and participates in card games.

Definition in Spanish

Carta que puede sustituir a otras cartas o a su valor en un juego; por extensión, persona o cosa que sirve como sustituto versátil.

Word origin

Derived from cómodo (from Latin commodus 'convenient') plus the diminutive/agentive suffix -ín, originally conveying 'convenient little thing' and hence a substitute able to take various roles.

Usage tips

  • Commonly used in workplace and sports talk as 'ser un comodín' to describe someone who covers many tasks, so it often appears in job descriptions and team reports.

Other meanings

  • wildcardnoun
  • substitutenoun

Word lists with this word