Also means
cunning
Usage Note
Picardía describes a playful, mischievous cleverness — the quality of the pícaro, the roguish trickster hero of the Spanish literary genre novela picaresca. It can be charming rather than negative, implying wit and street-smarts. In some Latin American varieties it can shade toward 'obscenity' or 'naughty remark', so context matters across regions.
Examples
"Sonrió con picardía antes de responder."
Natural Translation
She smiled with roguishness before answering.
Free starter pack
Building your Spanish vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common Spanish words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore Spanish by topic
SpanishNow
6 min read
