exilio
nounCEFR B2
What does “exilio” mean in English?
exile — forced or voluntary long-term absence from one's homeland, especially for political reasons
exile — forced or voluntary long-term absence from one's homeland, especially for political reasons (vivir en el exilio; el exilio republicano; exilio interior)
Example sentences
Muchos intelectuales republicanos pasaron décadas en el exilio, manteniendo viva la memoria de una España que ya no podían habitar.
Many Republican intellectuals spent decades in exile, keeping alive the memory of a Spain they could no longer inhabit.
La escritora regresó del exilio a los setenta y ocho años, pocos meses antes de que le concedieran el Premio Nacional.
The writer returned from exile at seventy-eight, a few months before being awarded the National Prize.
Los disidentes que optaron por el exilio interior sufrieron una persecución más silenciosa pero igualmente devastadora.
The dissidents who chose inner exile suffered a quieter but equally devastating persecution.
How to use it
El exilio (noun, masculine) means 'exile' — forced or voluntary long-term absence from one's homeland for political or other reasons. At B2 it is essential for discussing history (Spanish Civil War, Latin American dictatorships) and contemporary refugee/migration discourse. Core collocations: vivir en el exilio; ir al exilio; el exilio republicano; exilio interior (staying but living under oppression); partir al exilio; comunidad en el exilio. The verb is exiliarse and the person is el/la exiliado/a. Distinguish from refugio (refuge — physical shelter) and destierro (banishment — formal/legal expulsion).
Common mistake
Exilio is not simply 'being abroad' — it implies political or coercive displacement. Don't confuse with emigración (economic migration) or destierro (formal legal banishment). The phrase en el exilio always takes the definite article.