Phil put his arms around him. Drew him in close, pressed his cheek to Dane's the way the Mafiosi in the fifties would kiss somebody right before they punched his ticket.
Source: wiktionary
Mafioso
Synonyms for "mafioso" (75 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: beast, beldam, berserk, berserker, black marketeer.
- Sentence evidence is available for mafioso, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from moby, opengloss, derived_reverse.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "mafioso".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "mafioso"
Keep "mafioso" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "mafioso" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "mafioso", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "mafioso" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
8 entriesMore specific
10 entriesCollocations
11 entriesmafioso auramafioso codemafioso culturemafioso demeanormafioso imagerymafioso influencemafioso networkmafioso rhetoricmafioso stylemafioso tacticsmafioso tone
Inflections
4 entriesDerivations
3 entriesTranslations
32 translations across 18 languages.
Belarusian
1 entries- мафіёзі noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Bulgarian
1 entries- мафиот noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 黑手黨成員 /黑手党成员 noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Czech
1 entries- mafián noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Esperanto
1 entries- mafiano noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Finnish
1 entries- mafioso noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
French
2 entries- mafieuse noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- mafieux noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Galician
2 entries- mafiosa noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- mafioso noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
German
2 entries- Mafiosa noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- Mafioso noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Greek
1 entries- μαφιόζος noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Italian
3 entries- mafiosa noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- mafioso noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- uomo d'onore noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Macedonian
1 entries- мафија́ш noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Polish
4 entries- mafios noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- mafioso noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- mafioz noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- mafiozo noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Portuguese
2 entries- mafiosa noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- mafioso noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Romanian
4 entries- mafioasă noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- mafios noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- mafioso noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- mafiot noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Russian
2 entries- мафио́зи noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- мафио́зник noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Spanish
2 entries- mafiosa noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
- mafioso noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Ukrainian
1 entries- мафіо́зі noun (member of the mafia — see also mobster)
Sample sentences
8 total sentences available.
“Sometimes, I swear you have no idea about the concept of money. Only you could give a one-of-a-kind ring to a female Mafioso, so casually.”
Source: wiktionary
“As the library grows in popularity, the community gets stronger and she gets more powerful. She ultimately goes from this timorous lady to a local kingpin. Kind of like a female Mafioso. And then someone crosses her so she has a vengeance to play out.”
Source: wiktionary
The widow of one murdered Mafioso gave her son the bloody jacket that her husband had been killed in. […] So far there has not been a Mafiosa who has made it to the top on her own.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 8 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "mafioso"?
Closest matches include beast, beldam, berserk, berserker, black marketeer.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "mafioso"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.