Social issues: B2 Spanish vocabulary

87 Spanish words about social issues at B2 level. Each entry links to the full meaning, a real example sentence, and usage notes written for English speakers.

• violencianounviolence — behaviour involving physical force causing harm; intense force
• costenouncost, toll — the amount of money or suffering required or caused
• tasanounrate, ratio — a measure of how often something occurs; also a levy or fee
• campañanouncampaign, drive
• victimanounvictim — a person harmed or killed by another or by an event
• tensionnounstrain, tension — a state of mental stress; also conflict or friction between parties
• accesonounaccess, right of entry
• comportamientonounbehaviour, conduct
• riquezanounwealth, riches — an abundance of valuable resources or material possessions
• crisisnouncrisis — a critical turning point or period of acute difficulty
• progresonounprogress — forward movement or improvement towards a better state; normatively positive unlike desarrollo
• estabilidadnounstability, equilibrium
• responsabilidadnounresponsibility, accountability — the obligation to act in a certain way or to answer for the consequences of one's actions
• abusonounabuse, misuse
• identidadnounidentity
• barreranounbarrier, obstacle
• voluntarionounvoluntary, optional
• alcoholnounalcohol — the chemical substance ethanol; alcoholic drink in general; a topic of public-health policy
• transformarverbto transform — to change something fundamentally in nature or structure; more radical than cambiar
• circunstancianouncircumstance, condition
• verguenzanounshame, embarrassment — the feeling of distress caused by wrong or foolish behaviour
• privilegionounprivilege — an unearned advantage or benefit enjoyed by a person or group due to social position or circumstances
• retonounchallenge — a difficult task or goal to be faced and overcome; often aspirational in tone
• bienestarnounwellbeing, welfare
• conflictonounconflict, clash
• desafíonounchallenge — a major difficulty or problem that demands a response; often at greater scale than reto
• traumanountrauma — a deeply distressing experience; the lasting psychological effects thereof
• alarmanounalarm — state of collective concern or fear; also an alarm device or signal
• detenciónnounarrest, detention — the act of holding a person under authority; a period of custody
• remedionounremedy, solution — a cure or way of correcting something
• desigualdadnouninequality, disparity
• educarverbto educate, to raise awareness
• filanounrow, queue
• empatianounempathy, sympathy — the ability to understand and share the feelings of another
• refugionounrefuge, shelter — protection or safety from danger; a place providing emergency accommodation
• vicionounvice — immoral or wicked behaviour; a weakness of character
• venganzanounrevenge, vengeance — the action of hurting someone in return for hurt done to you
• delitonounoffence, crime — an act that breaks the law and is punishable
• vulnerableadjectivevulnerable
• dividirverbto divide, to split
• extenderseverbto spread, to expand — to gradually reach a wider area or more people
• discriminaciónnoundiscrimination — the unjust treatment of a person or group based on a characteristic
• excluirverbto exclude, to shut out
• prejuicionounprejudice — a preconceived negative judgement about a person or group formed without adequate evidence
• concienciaciónnounawareness-raising
• ciclonouncycle — a recurring sequence of events or a defined period
• contrastenouncontrast — a noticeable difference when comparing two or more things
• desastrenoundisaster
• desplazarseverbto be displaced, to relocate
• equidadnounequity — proportional fairness that accounts for individual need, contrasted with strict equality
• estigmanounstigma
• controvertidoadjectivecontroversial, contested — giving rise to debate and strong disagreement; more formal register than polémico
• marginaciónnounmarginalisation, social exclusion — the process by which individuals or groups are pushed to the margins of society and denied full participation
• desventajanoundisadvantage — a condition that makes success or equality harder to achieve
• retrocesonounsetback, regression
• agravarseverbto worsen, to deteriorate — to become more serious or severe
• privarverbto deprive of, to strip of
• empoderarverbto empower
• polarizadoadjectivepolarised — divided into extreme opposing camps with little middle ground
• agudizarseverbto intensify, to sharpen
• corriente dominantenounmainstream, dominant current
• trastornarverbto disrupt, to throw into disorder
• arraigadoadjectivedeep-rooted, ingrained — embedded through long growth or tradition; can be neutral or negative
• enquistadoadjectiveentrenched — deeply embedded and impervious to change; like a cyst that cannot be removed without surgery
• desagradableadjectiveunpleasant, nasty — causing discomfort or displeasure
• igualdadnounequality
• invisibleadjectiveinvisible — unable to be seen; not visible
• hostiladjectivehostile — unfriendly; actively opposed or aggressive
• pasivoadjectivepassive — accepting without resistance; not active or assertive
• exilionounexile — forced or voluntary long-term absence from one's homeland, especially for political reasons
• indiferenteadjectiveindifferent — showing no interest or concern; neither for nor against
• margennounmargin, fringe
• discapacitadoadjectivedisabled — having a physical or mental impairment; preferred official form: persona con discapacidad
• dificultadnoundifficulty, hardship
• inmigrantenounimmigrant — a person who has moved to live in a foreign country
• impactonounimpact, effect — the strong or significant effect of one thing on another
• intervenciónnounintervention — an act of becoming involved to change a situation
• etiquetanounlabel, tag — a word or phrase applied to categorise a person or thing; also etiquette
• carencianounlack, shortage — an absence or deficiency of something needed
• lujonounluxury — something desirable but not essential; great comfort
• migraciónnounmigration — the movement of people from one region or country to another
• minoríanounminority, minority group
• necesidadnounnecessity, need — something that is required or indispensable
• rednounnetwork — a system of interconnected elements; a social or professional network
• obesidadnounobesity — the medical condition of being severely overweight
• obstáculonounobstacle, barrier — something that blocks progress or makes achievement difficult
• pobrezanounpoverty — the state of being extremely poor; the condition of lacking basic resources