C1 · Advanced

🎚️ Nuances and synonyms · Matices y sinónimos

Fine distinctions between near-synonyms to refine your language use. 17 words.

Article colours: blue = masculine (el), pink = feminine (la), purple = both (el/la).

SpanishTranslationExample sentence
sutil subtle
Hizo una crítica sutil que pocos captaron.He made a subtle criticism that few noticed.
tenue faint / dim
Se veía una luz tenue al fondo del pasillo.A faint light could be seen at the end of the hallway.
escueto terse / brief
El informe era escueto pero muy claro.The report was terse but very clear.
conciso concise
Prefiero un texto conciso a uno lleno de rodeos.I prefer a concise text to one full of digressions.
prolijo long-winded / verbose
Su explicación fue tan prolija que perdimos el hilo.His explanation was so long-winded that we lost the thread.
pormenorizado detailed / itemized
Nos entregaron un informe pormenorizado de los gastos.They gave us a detailed report of the expenses.
exiguo meager / scanty
El presupuesto destinado a cultura resultó exiguo.The budget allocated to culture turned out to be meager.
ingente huge / enormous
Hicieron un esfuerzo ingente para terminar el proyecto a tiempo.They made an enormous effort to finish the project on time.
paulatino gradual
El cambio de actitud fue paulatino pero constante.The change in attitude was gradual but steady.
súbito sudden
Un cambio súbito de temperatura sorprendió a todos.A sudden change in temperature surprised everyone.
insólito unusual / unheard-of
Fue un desenlace insólito para una historia tan común.It was an unusual ending for such a common story.
vago vague
Su respuesta fue demasiado vaga para convencer al jurado.His answer was too vague to convince the jury.
meticuloso meticulous
Es un investigador meticuloso que no deja nada al azar.He is a meticulous researcher who leaves nothing to chance.
somero superficial / cursory
El médico hizo un examen somero antes de derivarlo al especialista.The doctor did a cursory examination before referring him to the specialist.
nítido clear / sharp
La fotografía era muy nítida a pesar de la poca luz.The photograph was very sharp despite the low light.
ambiguo ambiguous
El texto legal resultaba ambiguo y dio lugar a varias interpretaciones.The legal text was ambiguous and led to several interpretations.
exhaustivo exhaustive / thorough
Realizaron un análisis exhaustivo de los datos recogidos.They carried out an exhaustive analysis of the collected data.

🎯 Practise these 17 words with their article in the app 🃏 Flashcards for this theme

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