VocabuoDictionaryGet the app
noun

la mueca

grimace

Gesto que se hace con la cara para mostrar una emoción, burlarse o hacer reír.

Definition & meaning

Mueca is a feminine Spanish noun meaning grimace, facial expression, or gesture, especially one that expresses disgust, pain, irony, displeasure, or mockery.

Examples:

  • Hizo una mueca de dolor. — “He made a grimace of pain.”
  • El niño le hizo una mueca. — “The child pulled a face at him.”
  • Su mueca de desprecio era evidente. — “Her expression of contempt was obvious.”

It can also refer more generally to an exaggerated or unusual facial gesture.

Grammar & word origin

  • Gender: feminine
  • Article: la mueca
  • Plural: las muecas
  • Pronunciation: approximately MWEH-kah

The word is related to the verb muequear , meaning “to make grimaces.” Its deeper origin is uncertain, although it may be connected with an old term referring to a distorted or mocking facial expression.

Do not confuse mueca with muñeca , which means “wrist” or “doll.”

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

  • gesto — “gesture”; broader than mueca, since it can involve the face or body and does not necessarily look strange or exaggerated.
  • grimace — a direct synonym, although it is an English loanword used in Spanish.
  • carantoña — an exaggerated or affected facial expression, often made to please or flatter someone.
  • ademán — a gesture or mannerism, usually involving the body rather than specifically a distorted facial expression.

Antonyms

There is no exact antonym for mueca, but possible contrasts include:

  • expresión neutra — “neutral expression,” with no noticeable emotional distortion.
  • seriedad — “seriousness,” especially when contrasted with a mocking or playful grimace.
  • sonrisa — “smile”; this is not a strict antonym, but it can contrast with a negative or distorted mueca.

Common phrases & collocations

  • hacer una mueca — to make a grimace
  • hacer muecas — to pull faces or make faces
  • una mueca de dolor — a grimace of pain
  • una mueca de disgusto — a grimace of displeasure or disgust
  • una mueca de desprecio — a contemptuous expression
  • con una mueca — with a grimace or mocking expression

Make “mueca” part of your vocabulary.

Build your Spanish vocabulary with flashcards, audio and spaced repetition.

Get Vocabuo on the App StoreGet Vocabuo for Android

Examples

Ella hizo una mueca de disgusto cuando vio la sopa.noun

She made a grimace of disgust when she saw the soup.

Keep exploring Spanish

Learn words from the content you love.

Add words from websites, books and videos, then remember them with spaced repetition (SRS).

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play