Mafia usually refers to a criminalinvolving illegal activity or people who break the law organizationa structured group formed to work together for a purpose, especially the well-known Italian and Italian-American groups. In wider use, it can also mean any close-knitvery closely connected and supportive of one another group of trusted associates, though that is less common.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ˈmæfiə/
Easy pronunciation: MAF-ee-uh (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the first syllable.
Used here in the crime syndicate sense.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Mafia Meaning
an organized crime group
Part of speech: noun
Definition: a crime syndicate, especially one that operates through family-based organized crime
Example: Police say the mafia has been involved in the drug trade for years.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- cosa nostra — A specific name for the Sicilian/Italian-American organized crime network in this sense.
- sicilian mafia — Used for the traditional Sicilian criminal organization; close synonym in this crime sense.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Mafia
Meaning 2
a close group of allies or insiders
Part of speech: noun
Definition: any tightly knit group of trusted associates
Example: The editor joked that the senior staff looked like a little mafia because they always backed one another.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Mafia Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- cosa nostra
- sicilian mafia
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- People sometimes use mafia to mean any group of powerful people, but the main meaning is organized crime.
- Do not confuse mafia with general words like gang or club; they are broader and not exact substitutes.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does mafia mean?
Mafia usually means an organized crime group, especially the Italian or Italian-American criminal underworld.
What are the synonyms of mafia?
In the crime sense, close synonyms include cosa nostra and sicilian mafia. The broader sense of a tight group of associates has no strong one-word synonym here.
Is mafia always about crime?
Usually yes. In modern English, mafia most often refers to organized crime, though it can sometimes be used more loosely for a tightly connected group of insiders.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-09. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.