menos mal

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmẽ.nuz ˈmaw/ [ˈmẽ.nuz ˈmaʊ̯]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmẽ.nuz ˈmaw/ [ˈmẽ.nuz ˈmaʊ̯]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈmẽ.nuʒ ˈmaw/ [ˈmẽ.nuʒ ˈmaʊ̯]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈme.noz ˈmaw/ [ˈme.noz ˈmaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈme.nuʒ ˈmal/ [ˈme.nuʒ ˈmaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈme.nuʒ ˈmal/ [ˈme.nuʒ ˈmaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈme.nuʒ ˈma.li/

Interjection

menos mal

1. could be worse

   Synonyms: poderia ser pior, podia ser pior

Related terms

• menos-mal

Spanish

Etymology

Compare Italian meno male.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌmenos ˈmal/ [ˌme.noz ˈmal]
• Syllabification: me‧nos mal

Adverb

menos mal

1. (idiomatic) just as well
2. (idiomatic) thank God, luckily

Interjection

menos mal

1. phew

Further reading

• “menos mal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10