MEANING
A Brazilian urban settlement traditionally associated with informal housing and inadequate services.
Use it for
Brazilian urban context; unequal public provision; community identitiesName a specific settlement history while preserving the diversity of lived experience.
Words that belong together
- Rio favela
- favela residents
- favela community
On the page
The favela's residents formed a committee to demand regular rubbish collection.
A music teacher opened free classes in the favela where she had grown up.
The journalist let people from the favela describe their own neighborhood.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- favela
Usage notes
Primary category: setting. A culturally specific term, not a generic synonym for any poor neighborhood. Conditions vary greatly, and the label must not imply universal criminality. Plural: favelas. No other inflection applies to this noun.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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