cirugía plástica
/θiɾuˌxia ˈplastika/
The English phrase 'plastic surgery' is cirugía plástica in Spanish.
cirugía plástica is the direct equivalent of 'plastic surgery'. While 'cirugía plástica' is common, cirugía estética is often used specifically to refer to purely cosmetic procedures as opposed to reconstructive ones.
Meaning: cosmetic surgery (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
cirugía plástica is a literal translation where cirugía means 'surgery' and plástica means 'plastic'.
Which one should you use?
cirugía estética is a formal option that refers specifically to aesthetic surgery.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, people might refer to plastic surgery as cirugía estética more frequently.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form is cirugías plásticas, where both the noun and the adjective are pluralized.
How do you pronounce it?
/θiɾuˌxia ˈplastika/
Did you know?
- The word cirugía shares its roots with the English word 'surgery' but literally describes 'hand work' because it comes from the Greek words χείρ for 'hand' and ἔργον for 'work'.
- A person undergoing these procedures might be described as having undergone retoques (retouches), a term more commonly used for photo editing or makeup.
- The adjective plástica in cirugía plástica does not refer to the material 'plastic' but to the Greek concept of 'plasticity' or the ability to mold and shape.
Examples in context
- Ni la cirugía plástica te va a hacer menos feo.Not even plastic surgery will make you less ugly.This sentence uses cirugía plástica to discuss how surgery might affect one's appearance.Tatoeba #1989286 by marcelostockle, translation #10069652 by espamatics
- Ni siquiera la cirugía plástica hará nada con tu fealdad.Even plastic surgery won't do anything for your ugliness.This sentence uses cirugía plástica to discuss the limits of surgery regarding a person's ugliness.Tatoeba #1152483 by marcelostockle, translation #6052 by Zifre
- Mary fue dejada gravemente marcada después de la chapuza de cirugía plástica.Mary was left badly scarred after botched plastic surgery.This sentence uses cirugía plástica to describe the result of a botched procedure.Tatoeba #5811711 by albrusgher, translation #3043468 by patgfisher
- La cirugía plástica es una especialidad médica que se encarga de mejorar y corregir la apariencia física de los pacientes.Plastic surgery is a medical specialty that is responsible for improving and correcting the physical appearance of patients.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are talking about a famous celebrity's new look.
- SofíaCreo que se hizo una cirugía plástica.I think she had plastic surgery.
- JavierNo lo sé, tal vez es solo maquillaje.I don't know, maybe it's just makeup.
- SofíaSu nariz cambió mucho con la cirugía plástica.Her nose changed a lot with plastic surgery.
- JavierTienes razón, se ve muy diferente ahora.You're right, she looks very different now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cirugía plástica, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cirugía, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
