acartonado

Acartonado is a term used in Spanish and Portuguese with two main senses. Etymologically, it comes from the word for cardboard (cartón) and the suffix -ado, which forms adjectives meaning “made of” or “having the quality of.” The feminine form is acartonada and the masculine plural acartonados.

In its literal sense, acartonado describes objects or materials that are made of cardboard or covered with cardboard. This usage is common in packaging, props, displays, and set design, where panels or structures are described as acartonados when they are light, inexpensive, or temporary.

In a figurative sense, acartonado describes people, speech, or behavior that is stiff, formal, conventional, or lacking spontaneity. A discurso acartonado, for example, refers to a stilted or pompous speech; um comportamento acartonado denotes rigid or bureaucratic conduct. In this sense, acartonado is often used in journalism, literary criticism, or everyday language to critique a style that prioritizes propriety over naturalness.

Usage notes and related terms: the term is more common in Brazilian Portuguese to describe people and communication, while in Spanish it appears in media commentary and prose. Opposites or contrasts include terms like natural, fluido, or espontáneo in Spanish, and descontraído or natural in Portuguese.

In summary, acartonado can describe tangible cardboard-based objects or figuratively characterize rigid, over-formal behavior or wording, depending on context.