Spanish word

piropo

Pronunciation

IPA/piˈɾopo/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncompliment

Example

Me dijo un piropo.

He gave me a compliment.

Illustration for piropo (compliment)

More examples

Ella ignoró un piropo con una sonrisa.

She ignored a compliment with a smile.

Core concept

Short flirtatious line meant to flatter someone.

Common phrases

  • recibir un piropo

    receive a compliment

  • ignorar un piropo

    ignore a compliment

Similar words

cumplido: Concise praise about a person's looks or conduct.
halago: Flattering remark aimed at making the listener feel good.
elogio: Respectful, measured praise of a person's actions or achievements.
adulación: Praise given to ingratiate oneself with another person.

Definition in Spanish

Cumplido corto dirigido a una persona, usado para halagar o para ligar y que a veces se percibe como adulación.

Word origin

Borrowed from Italian piroppo and ultimately from Greek pyropós 'fiery', originally a metaphor for ardent praise.

Usage tips

  • Commonly used with verbs like decir, dar or echar un piropo, and unsolicited piropos often offend so speakers pay attention to the listener's reaction.

Other meanings

  • flatterynoun
  • pickup linenoun

Opposites

Related words

  • piropearcomplimentverb
  • piropeoflatterynoun

Word lists with this word