Spanish Conversation · Level 94
59 words
Spanish word
engaño
Pronunciation
IPA/eŋˈgaɲo/
Meaning
- masculine nountrick
Example
No es amor, es un engaño.
It's not love, it's a trick.
More examples
Muchos cayeron en un engaño después de ver ese anuncio.
Many fell for a trick after seeing that advertisement.
Core concept
The result of misleading someone, a false belief or trick.
Common phrases
cometer un engaño
commit a deception
caer en un engaño
fall for a trick
Similar words
mentira: Says or writes something untrue as if it were true.
timo: Uses a clever ruse to swindle someone out of money.
estafa: Executes a planned scheme to extract significant money from victims.
fraude: Secures profit through dishonest or unlawful means.
Definition in Spanish
Acción de inducir a alguien a creer algo falso o el resultado de esa acción.
Word origin
The noun is the nominalization of engañar 'to deceive' and is cognate with Italian inganno, with roots in medieval Romance referring to the act or result of misleading someone.
Usage tips
- Engaño functions both as a concrete count noun (un engaño) for a specific trick and as an abstract noun for deception in general.
Other meanings
- fraudnoun
- deceptionnoun
Opposites
- verdadtruthnoun
- honestidadhonestynoun
Related words
- engañardeceiveverb
- engañosodeceptiveadjective