What it means
لوس (lus) is a versatile colloquial Persian adjective. Its primary modern meaning is spoiled or bratty, describing a child or adult who demands constant attention, throws tantrums, and refuses to accept “no.” A secondary meaning is cloying or sickeningly sweet, used for food or behaviour that is so saccharine it becomes irritating. Dehkhoda traces the word to an Arabic root connected to flattery, cajolery, and honey-tongued deception, a meaning that survives in the sense of someone who puts on an exaggerated, wheedling sweetness to get what they want. The noun form is لوسبازی (lus-bâzi, acting spoiled or putting on a whining act). A related insult is ننر (naner, coddled and wimpy).
How to use it
- لوس نباش، خودت برو بگیرش. (lus nabâsh, khodat boro begiresh.) “Don’t be bratty, go get it yourself.”
- این بچه رو اینقدر لوس کردن که دیگه هیچکاری نمیکنه. (in bache ro inqadr lus kardan ke dige hichkâri nemikone.) “They’ve spoiled this kid so much that he doesn’t do anything anymore.”
- لوسبازی درنیار، جدی دارم باهات حرف میزنم. (lus-bâzi dar niyâr, jeddi dâram bâhât harf mizanam.) “Cut the act, I’m talking to you seriously.”
- این شیرینی خیلی لوسه، شیرینیش زیاده. (in shirini kheyli luse, shirinish ziâde.) “This pastry is too cloying, it’s overly sweet.”
Cultural note
In Iranian family culture, where children are often doted on and physical affection is openly expressed, the accusation of لوس carries real weight. Parents warn each other not to make their children لوس by giving in to every demand, and the word can be heard in playgrounds, family gatherings, and even couples bickering. The cloying-sweetness sense overlaps usefully with the bratty sense: both describe an excess that tips from pleasant into irritating. In modern Tehran slang, لوسبازی has expanded to describe any kind of performative, exaggerated emotion designed to manipulate someone.