Spanish word of the day: Manía

What does manía mean?

Manía (feminine noun) – A strong, sometimes irrational obsession, habit, or aversion. It can be a quirky routine, a pet peeve, or even a little superstition.

Example sentences with manía

• Tengo la manía de revisar dos veces si cerré la puerta.
  🔑 I have the habit of double-checking if I locked the door.

• Mi hermana tiene manía a los gatos, no puede ni ver uno.
  🙀 My sister has an aversion to cats; she can’t even look at one.

• Comerse las uñas es una manía bastante común.
  💅 Biting your nails is a pretty common habit.

Manía in context

You’ll find manía popping up all the time in daily Spanish, especially when people talk about their routines or little “weird” habits. Maybe you always line up your pens a certain way, or you can’t stand when someone chews loudly-those are classic manías. The word is also used for those things or people you just can’t warm up to, sometimes without a clear reason. For example, saying “le tengo manía a mi vecino” means you have an unexplainable dislike for your neighbor.

If you want to sound natural, use manía when you’re sharing your own quirks or joking about someone else’s. It’s a friendly way to talk about the little things that make us unique (or drive us a bit crazy). And if you ever hear someone say they have “manía persecutoria,” they’re talking about the feeling that everyone’s out to get them-a much more serious, clinical use of the word.