What does "mafia" mean?
A hierarchically structured secret organisation engaged in illegal activities like distribution of narcotics, gambling and extortion.
Mafia
/ˈmɑfi.ə/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A hierarchically structured secret organisation engaged in illegal activities like distribution of narcotics, gambling and extortion.
- Grammar: mafia is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: sicilian mafia, black hand, black market, bootlegging.
- Useful contrasts: lawful business, lawful institution, lawful order.
- Usage evidence: The Mafia uses legitimate business operations as a front.
How to use "mafia"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mafia" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mafia" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mafia" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mafia" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mafia" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "sicilian mafia" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mafia", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A hierarchically structured secret organisation engaged in illegal activities like distribution of narcotics, gambling and extortion.
- 2 any tightly knit group of trusted associates wordnet
- 3 A crime syndicate.
- 4 a secret terrorist group in Sicily; originally opposed tyranny but evolved into a criminal organization in the middle of the 19th century wordnet
- 5 A trusted group of associates, as of a political leader.
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a crime syndicate in the United States; organized in families; believed to have important relations to the Sicilian Mafia wordnet
- 7 An entity which attempts to control a specified arena by violence or threats. in-compounds
"moral mafia"
Proper Noun
- 1 The Mob: any particular mafia, mentioned uniquely within the discussion's established or implicit context, usually and especially the Sicilian-Italian–Italian-American one (especially in American English) but occasionally others (e.g., the Russian one, the Japanese one).; The international criminal organization of Sicilian origin operating in Italy and the United States.
- 2 A social deduction party game modelling a conflict between an informed minority (the mafia) and an uninformed majority (the innocents). Each player is secretly assigned a role within one of these teams, and the innocents attempt to identify the mafia members before they are all "murdered".
- 3 The Mob: any particular mafia, mentioned uniquely within the discussion's established or implicit context, usually and especially the Sicilian-Italian–Italian-American one (especially in American English) but occasionally others (e.g., the Russian one, the Japanese one).; Any other specific organized crime syndicate operating internationally in high-level organized crime; often with a modifying adjective, such as a nationality.
"Somehow he managed to upset the Russian Mafia."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
lawful businesslawful institutionlawful orderlegitimate government
Example
"The Mafia uses legitimate business operations as a front."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mafia"?
Common synonyms include: sicilian mafia, black hand, black market, bootlegging, camorra, cosa nostra.
How do you use "mafia" in a sentence?
The Mafia uses legitimate business operations as a front.
How do you pronounce "mafia"?
Pronounced /ˈmɑfi.ə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Italian mafia, of uncertain origin. In the first instance, it is not clear whether the lemma in question is a Sicilian exonym or endonym, since written and oral sources on this term are scarce, the etymology remains uncertain and it's worthy of further investigation. It is possibly a regional term of the then recently established Kingdom of Italy; thus the meaning "spirit of hostility to the law" could be just derivative. The hypotheses put forward have been varied, but not very convincing from a reconstructive point of view. See Sicilian mafia for more. See, also, the Wikipedia article for more discussion of the origin of the word. Doublet of mafiya.
Etymology 2
See Mafia. The sense "entity which attempts to control a specified arena" makes an analogy to crime-syndicate mafias' attempts to control certain kinds of business in the regions in which they exist.