mañana
6 synonyms and 3 antonyms for mañana, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adverb — Tomorrow, or at some vague point in the future. In English it is used to suggest a task is being put off indefinitely rather than actually scheduled.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adverb
Tomorrow, or at some vague point in the future. In English it is used to suggest a task is being put off indefinitely rather than actually scheduled.
“Every time I ask about the invoice, it's mañana.”
Opposites
2. noun
An attitude of unhurried postponement, treating today's work as something that can wait until tomorrow.
“The whole office runs on mañana.”
How to Use Mañana
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Informal in English and usually mildly disparaging, since it plays on a stereotype about southern European working habits. In Spanish itself mañana is entirely neutral and simply means tomorrow or morning. Write it with the tilde where possible; manana is the common ASCII spelling.
Etymology
From Spanish mañana, meaning both morning and tomorrow, from Latin mane, in the morning.
Full origin of mañana →Frequently Asked Questions
Does mañana mean tomorrow or morning?
In Spanish it means both. La mañana with the article is the morning, while mañana on its own is tomorrow. English has borrowed only the second sense.
Is calling something mañana rude?
It can be. In English the word is nearly always used to mock delay, and applying it to a country or its people leans on a lazy stereotype. Used about yourself or your own workplace it is harmless self-deprecation.