Spanish word

onda

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈonda/

Meaning

  • feminine nounvibe

Example

En esa fiesta hay buena onda.

There is a good vibe at that party.

Illustration for onda (vibe)

More examples

En el trabajo se notó una mala onda después de la discusión.

At work there was a bad vibe after the discussion.

Core concept

An invisible wave of mood passing through a group.

Common phrases

  • ¿Qué onda?

    What's up

  • andar con buena onda

    have good vibes

Similar words

ambiente: General mood tied to a location's look, sound, and social mix.
vibra: Immediate feeling one gets from another person or from an occurrence.
atmósfera: Ambient air of a place that creates a background emotional tone.
sensación: Inner impression or subtle feeling that lingers after an event.

Definition in Spanish

Sensación o ambiente que se percibe en un lugar o entre personas; también, movimiento ondulatorio del agua o de señales electromagnéticas.

Word origin

From Latin unda 'wave', Spanish onda keeps the literal meaning 'wave' for water and radio waves and extends metaphorically to a mood that spreads like a wave.

Usage tips

  • Common colloquial expressions are buena/mala onda for a good or bad vibe and ¿Qué onda? serves as an informal what's up, so onda is mainly used in casual speech.

Other meanings

  • wavenoun

Opposites

  • mala ondabad vibenoun

Related words

  • onduladowavyadjective

Word lists with this word