Tropeçado

Tropeçado is a Portuguese term formed as the masculine singular past participle of tropeçar, the verb meaning to stumble, trip, or slip. As an adjective, tropeçado describes something that has caused a stumble or something that has been tripped, and its feminine form is tropeçada, with the plurals tropeçados and tropeçadas. The word can also function in a passive sense to describe a person who has stumbled.

In literal usage, tropeçado refers to physical stumbling: a person who has tripped or an object that has led someone to fall. Figuratively, it conveys the idea of setbacks, mistakes, or temporary difficulties, as in life or in a project that faced obstacles. The expression tropeçar na vida is common to describe recurring challenges or missteps.

Tropeçar em can also be used to mean encountering something unexpectedly, akin to “stumbling upon” something. In this sense, tropeçado appears in expressions about accidental discoveries or serendipitous encounters, though this usage is less frequent than the primary meaning related to stumbling or setbacks.

The term is widely understood in both Portugal and Brazil. Related words include tropeço (a stumble or setback) and tropeçar (to stumble). See also: tropeçar, tropeço, tropeção.