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naco

adjective, nounInformal

A Mexican Spanish slang term. Browse all Mexican slang.

What it means

  1. Tacky, vulgar, low-class. Applied to taste, behaviour and, unavoidably, to people.

Examples with translations

  • No seas naco, quítate la gorra en la mesa.

    Don't be so uncouth, take your cap off at the table.

  • Ese color me parece un poco naco, la verdad.

    Honestly, I find that colour a bit tacky.

    Note: Applied to an object rather than a person — the least loaded use.

Where it comes from

Probably a clipping of totonaco, an Indigenous people of Veracruz. That origin is the reason the word carries real weight: its force comes from associating indigeneity and poverty with bad taste. It is used very freely in Mexico, and is genuinely classist and racially loaded. Listed here for comprehension.