hostia
What does “hostia” mean in English?
This refers to a communion host, but it's often used as an exclamation to express surprise or frustration. It can also denote something impressive or a strong hit.
Literally “communion host”
Commonly heard in Spain, it functions similarly to 'holy shit' in English and can be used both as a reaction and to emphasize a point, depending on the context.
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Related Spanish words
maldita sea
2/5 · CoarseThis is an exclamation similar to saying 'damn it.' It's a way to express frustration or annoyance.
me cago en la hostia
5/5 · ExtremeThis phrase expresses strong frustration or anger, often directed at someone or something. Literally, it translates to 'I shit on the communion host,' which adds a layer of blasphemy.
a la mierda
3/5 · VulgarThis phrase means 'to hell with it' and is used as a dismissive exclamation. It literally translates to 'to the shit.'
carajo
3/5 · VulgarIt’s an exclamation of annoyance or emphasis, similar to saying 'damn' or 'fuck.'
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.
The literal gloss is a short editorial translation to show word-for-word sense, not an etymological claim.
“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 4troDev/profanity.csv, FlacSy/BadWords (MIT, MIT AND CC-BY-4.0). Editorial content © Swear Atlas.