🔹 Deadjectival Nouns Ending in -ía

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The suffix -ía forms feminine nouns expressing quality, condition, state, or characteristic behavior from an adjective: alegre (happy) → alegría (joy), valiente (brave) → valentía (courage), cobarde (cowardly) → cobardía (cowardice). It's also productive with gentilics (words for nationality/origin), expressing identity or cultural character: mexicano (Mexican) → mexicanía (Mexican-ness), cubano (Cuban) → cubanía (Cuban-ness). Many of these words can also be used as countable nouns meaning 'an act' or 'a remark': cometer una cobardía ('to commit a cowardly act'), soltar una grosería ('to blurt out a rude remark').

#	Spanish Noun	Noun in English	Base Adjective	Base Adjective in English
1	alegría	joy; happiness	alegre	happy; cheerful
2	mayoría	majority	mayor	greater; larger; older
3	minoría	minority	menor	smaller; lesser; younger
4	mejoría	improvement	mejor	better
5	cortesía	courtesy; politeness	cortés	courteous; polite
6	cercanía	proximity; closeness	cercano	near; close
7	valentía	courage; bravery	valiente	brave; courageous
8	cobardía	cowardice; cowardly act	cobarde	cowardly
9	rebeldía	rebelliousness; rebellion	rebelde	rebellious
10	picardía	cunning; mischievousness; roguery	pícaro	sly; mischievous
11	grosería	rudeness; vulgarity; rude remark	grosero	rude; coarse
12	soltería	singlehood; unmarried state	soltero	single; unmarried
13	lejanía	distance; remoteness	lejano	distant; remote
14	osadía	boldness; audacity	osado	bold; daring
15	medianía	mediocrity; middling condition	mediano	medium; middling
16	altanería	haughtiness; arrogance	altanero	haughty; arrogant
17	lozanía	freshness; vigor; vitality	lozano	vigorous; fresh
18	veteranía	seniority; veteran status	veterano	veteran; experienced
19	chapucería	shoddiness; botched work	chapucero	sloppy; shoddy
20	majadería	foolishness; stupid or annoying act	majadero	foolish; annoying
21	marrullería	slyness; trickery	marrullero	sly; deceitful
22	zalamería	flattery; fawning behavior	zalamero	flattering; fawning
23	campechanía	friendliness; easygoing manner	campechano	friendly; easygoing
24	ufanía	pride; self-satisfaction	ufano	proud; self-satisfied
25	alevosía	treachery; deliberate disloyalty	alevoso	treacherous
26	bizarría	bravery; gallantry	bizarro	brave; gallant
27	chocarrería	coarse joking; buffoonery	chocarrero	coarse; buffoonish
28	bravía	fierceness; wildness (uncommon)	bravo	fierce; wild
29	mexicanía	Mexican identity/character	mexicano	Mexican
30	cubanía	Cuban identity/character	cubano	Cuban
31	peruanía	Peruvian identity/character	peruano	Peruvian
32	colombianía	Colombian identity/character	colombiano	Colombian
33	ecuatorianía	Ecuadorian identity/character	ecuatoriano	Ecuadorian
34	asturianía	Asturian identity/character	asturiano	Asturian
35	españolía	Spanish identity/character (uncommon)	español	Spanish
36	baratía	cheapness; cheap goods (Colombia, Venezuela)	barato	cheap; inexpensive
37	pobrecía	poverty; condition of being poor (Caribbean, especially Dominican Republic)	pobre	poor
38	peoría	worsening; deterioration (regional)	peor	worse
39	ancianía	old age (obsolete; now ancianidad)	anciano	elderly; old

Important morphophonological details:

grosería, altanería, chapucería, chocarrería, majadería, marrullería, and zalamería don't take the suffix -ería, but -ía: the -er- is already part of the base adjective (groser-o, majad-ero), so what's added is just -ía. Compare with tontería, bobería (from tonto 'silly', bobo 'foolish'), which do take -ería.
valiente → valentía loses the -ie- diphthong because of the shift in stress.
pícaro → picardía is irregular (one would expect *picaría): the -d- comes from historical interference with French picard and La Picardie.
With comparative adjectives: mayor → mayoría, menor → minoría, mejor → mejoría, peor → peoría (this last one, regional).
Several of these words carry marked regional use: pobrecía (Dominican Republic and the Caribbean), baratía (Colombia and Venezuela).
ancianía is no longer used; today ancianidad is said instead.

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