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Glite Dictionary
😉 Playfully naughty 🦊 A clever trickster
pícaro

pícaro

9.9
A clever, mischievous character in stories who survives by using wit
  • noun
  • /ˈpiːkəroʊ/
  • Literature
translation icon : pícaro
  • The story follows a young pícaro who tricks his way through life in 17th-century Spain.

Examples

  • Many classic novels feature a pícaro as the main character, using wit to overcome hardship.

  • Readers are often charmed by the cleverness of a literary pícaro despite his questionable morals.

  • The pícaro in the story outsmarted everyone.

  • She loves reading about pícaros in classic literature.

  • The story follows a young pícaro who tricks his way through life in 17th-century Spain.

  • Many classic novels feature a pícaro as the main character, using wit to overcome hardship.

  • Readers are often charmed by the cleverness of a literary pícaro despite his questionable morals.

Synonyms

rogue
vspícaro
129 5.9

A person who behaves badly or dishonestly yet is often liked by others

is a literary clever trickster who survives by using wits rather than charm

Antonyms

hero
∞ 1.1

A person admired for brave actions and good qualities

straight arrow
  • Informal
2 5.9

A person who always tells the truth and follows moral rules

How Roguish

scoundrel
  • Offensive
51 6.5
pícaro
  • Literature
9.9
rogue
129 5.9
rascal
  • Informal
54 3.5
scamp
  • Informal
11 6.5

Surface Forms

pícaro singular
pícaros plural

Etymology

Pícaro comes from Spanish and names a clever rogue or rascal, a common figure in classic stories who lives by quick tricks. A helpful way to remember it is to picture a street-smart trickster who 'picks' his way through life, which is why a literary pícaro is a clever rogue who survives by wit.