ñoño

See also: nono, Nono, no no, no-no, nöno, nönö, nɔnɔ, nɔ́nɔ, №№, and NͦNͦ

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin nonnus. Compare Italian nonno (“grandfather”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɲoɲo/ [ˈɲo.ɲo]
• Rhymes: -oɲo
• Syllabification: ño‧ño

Adjective

ñoño (feminine ñoña, masculine plural ñoños, feminine plural ñoñas)

1. whiny, pathetic, namby-pamby

   Synonyms: llorón, fome, insulso, soso

   • 2016 May 1, Javier Marías, “Un par de plagas”, in El País‎^[1], Madrid, →ISSN:

     En parte hay que darles la razón, supongo: si los hablantes optan por decir de alguien bien plantado que “está como un queso” o que es un “yogurín”, ya puedo opinar yo que el símil está mal traído (hay miles de quesos, y algunos de aspecto y olor nauseabundos) o que el segundo término es pueril y ñoño y quizá efímero, que no me queda sino aguantarme y aceptarlos.

     Partly you have to agree with them, I guess: if the speakers opt to say of someone good-looking that they “look dishy” [Literally, “are like a cheese”] or are a “toyboy”, then I can say that the simile is ill-formed (there are thousands of cheeses, and some look and smell nauseating) or that the second term is puerile and sappy and maybe ephemeral, that I just have to put up with it and accept them.

2. (colloquial) characterless, spineless

   Synonym: apocado

3. (archaic) senile

   Synonyms: chocho, senil

4. nerdy

   Synonym: friki (colloquial)

Noun

ñoño m (plural ñoños)

1. the letter Ñ in the Spanish spelling alphabet

Related terms

• ñoñear
• ñoñería
• ñoñez

 

Further reading

• “ñoño”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28