sacanagem
What does “sacanagem” mean in English?
It refers to dirty behavior, unfairness, or a prank, depending on the context. It's not always obscene, so it can be used more casually.
In Brazil, it’s similar to calling someone a jerk or saying something is shady. It’s informal and can be used in a light-hearted way or to express mild disapproval.
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Related Portuguese words
cagado
3/5 · VulgarIt means screwed or dirty, but can also refer to being very lucky in certain contexts. The literal translation is 'shat on.'
gozar
2/5 · CoarseIt means to enjoy something, but can also refer to mocking someone or even having an orgasm, depending on the context. The literal translation is 'enjoy.'
porcaria
2/5 · CoarseIt means rubbish or something lousy, often used as an exclamation of annoyance. Literally, it translates to 'filth.'
pau
3/5 · VulgarIn informal settings, 'pau' is used as slang for penis. It literally translates to 'stick,' but in this context, it's definitely not neutral.
About this data
Swear Atlas is a source-attested, AI-curated reference — not a native-speaker-certified dictionary. Meanings and the 1–5 Burn Rating are approximate editorial assessments that vary with context, region, tone and speaker. Inclusion of a word does not constitute endorsement of its use.
“Sounds like” is an English-friendly approximation of how the word sounds, not an authoritative pronunciation. Where shown, the romanisation is a conventional Latin-script transliteration of the original spelling.
Term attested via LDNOOBW, 4troDev/profanity.csv, Viddexa SafeText (CC-BY-4.0, MIT). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.