← Back to Fala2Me

esmerar-se

[ɛʃmɛˈɾaɾ sə]
verb (reflexive)
to take great care, to strive for excellence, to do one's best
1. To make a great effort to do something perfectly or excellently; to be meticulous
She esmerases in her work to deliver quality results.
Ela esmera-se no seu trabalho para entregar resultados de qualidade.
2. To take pains; to be diligent and careful in the execution of a task
He esmerases in the details of the project.
Ele esmera-se nos detalhes do projeto.
3. To polish or refine something through careful effort
The artist esmerases in perfecting her technique.
A artista esmera-se em aperfeiçoar sua técnica.
Synonyms
esforçar-sededicar-seaperfeiçoar-secapricharempenhar-seesmerar
Antonyms
negligenciardescuidar-senegligenciar-sedesleixar-se

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
esmerar-se
Common usage; often replaced colloquially by 'caprichar'
São Paulo
esmerar-se
Standard usage in formal and informal contexts
Portugal
esmerar-se
Standard usage; maintains formal connotation

Related Idioms & Phrases

esmerar-se em algo
esmerar-se para fazer algo
esmerar-se no detalhe
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →