mala gente
/ˌmala ˈxente/
The Spanish word for "meanie" is mala gente.
mala gente is used to describe an unkind person. Note that if you want to describe someone as being annoying, bothersome or irritating, you should use the word pesado/a instead.
Meaning: unkind person (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌmala ˈxente/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, calling someone mala gente is a more severe moral judgment than the English 'meanie' and implies the person is truly malicious or wicked.
- The word mala in mala gente is the feminine form of 'bad', which must agree with the feminine noun gente regardless of whether the person being called a 'meanie' is male or female.
- The word gente comes from the Latin gentem, which originally referred to a clan or a race of people.
Examples in context
- No deberías ser tan desagradable con los demás.You shouldn't be so mean to others.
- Siempre actúa de forma antipática, no me agrada su actitud.He/She always behaves in a mean way, I don't like their attitude.
- Siempre está molestando, ¡qué pesado/a es!He/She is always bothering, how annoying he/she is!
- No creas lo que dice, es malvado/a y solo quiere hacerte daño.Don't believe what he/she says, he/she is mean and only wants to harm you.
- No le prestes atención, simplemente es un cretino/a malintencionado/a.Don't pay attention to him/her, he/she's just a mean-spirited fool.
- No quiero ser mala gente con nadie.I don't want to be an unkind person to anyone.
Example conversation
Daniel takes the last cookie from the plate.
- DanielMira, me comí la última galleta.Look, I ate the last cookie.
- María¡Eres mala gente, Daniel!You are a meanie, Daniel!
- DanielSolo era una galleta, María.It was only one cookie, María.
- MaríaNo importa, fuiste muy malo.It doesn't matter, you were very mean.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mala gente, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gente, mala, CC BY-SA 4.0.
