mantenido
/manteˈnido/
The Spanish word mantenido means a person who is financially supported by someone else without having to work.
This term describes someone receiving financial support, but it carries a much more negative and judgmental connotation than the English terms 'supported' or 'provided for'. Calling someone a mantenido is often used as an insult to imply they are lazy or lack dignity because they do not work.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While mantenido is a pejorative term, the formal way to express the concept of an economic dependent is dependiente económico.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the popular term nini is used to describe an individual who neither works nor studies.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word must agree in gender and number with the person being described. Use mantenido for a man, mantenida for a woman and mantenidos for a group of people or a mixed-gender group.
How do you pronounce it?
/manteˈnido/
Did you know?
- If you describe a building or a car as mantenido, you are not calling it a person, but rather saying it is 'well-maintained' or 'kept in good condition'.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, calling a grown man a mantenido can be a way to attack his 'machismo', as it implies he has failed to be the provider for his family.
- The word mantenido is a direct relative of the English word 'maintain'. Both share the same Latin root meaning 'to hold' or 'to keep'.
Examples in context
- Pedro es un mantenido, no trabaja y vive a expensas de su familia.Pedro is a mantenido, he doesn't work and lives at the expense of his family.
- Rodrigo es un mantenido a costa de sus amigos, siempre que salimos, nunca aporta nada.Rodrigo is a mantenido at the expense of his friends, he never contributes anything when we go out.
- Él es un mantenido de su padre.He is a kept man, supported by his father.
- No quiero ser un mantenido en esta casa.I don't want to be a kept person in this house.
- Muchos critican al joven por ser un mantenido.Many people criticize the young man for being a kept person.
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are discussing a mutual acquaintance's lifestyle.
- Sofía¿Sabes que Carlos es un mantenido?Do you know that Carlos is a kept man?
- MateoSí, vive de la herencia de su madre.Yes, he lives off his mother's inheritance.
- SofíaEs un estilo de vida muy fácil.It is a very easy way of life.
- MateoPero no tiene ninguna ambición propia.But he has no ambition of his own.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mantenido, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
