Spanish word

culebrón

Pronunciation

IPA/kuleˈβɾon/

Meaning

  • masculine nounsoap opera

Example

Los culebrones suelen tener finales dramáticos.

Soap operas usually have dramatic endings.

Illustration for culebrón (soap opera)

More examples

Mi familia suele ver el culebrón después de cenar.

My family usually watches the soap opera after dinner.

Core concept

A long, winding, melodramatic TV serial.

Common phrases

  • ver el culebrón

    watch the soap opera

  • seguir el culebrón

    follow the soap opera

  • final del culebrón

    soap opera finale

Similar words

telenovela: Long-form Latin American TV drama built around a central melodramatic plot and a defined ending.
serie: Television program presented in multiple episodes, often with a continuous storyline.

Definition in Spanish

Término coloquial para una telenovela o serie excesivamente melodramática y prolongada, con fuerte énfasis en el sensacionalismo sentimental.

Word origin

It derives from Spanish culebra 'snake' plus the augmentative -ón, originally meaning 'big or long snake' and later used metaphorically for a long, twisting melodrama on television.

Usage tips

  • The word is colloquial and often mildly pejorative when used to criticize an overly sensational or prolonged series, and it normally carries an acute accent on the final o.

Other meanings

  • serial dramanoun
  • daytime dramanoun

Word lists with this word