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Glite Dictionary
banlieue

banlieue

1 9.9
An area outside a French city where many people live, often poorer and with many social problems
  • noun
  • /bɑːnˈljuː/
  • Literature
translation icon : banlieue
  • Mixed groups of teenagers—blacks, Arabs, and whites—then torched cars and vandalized schools in the banlieues.

Examples

  • Public services in the banlieue often struggle to keep up with the needs of the residents.

  • The cultural diversity in the banlieue enriches the city's overall character and vibrancy.

  • Before the year was out, flames were rising in the center of the city, and the banlieue problems spread like wildfire.

    Academic text (2011)

  • A second commission was established in 1876 to consider public buildings in the banlieue for decoration.

    Academic text (1993)

  • "It's just the banlieue working-class suburb," they said.

    Academic text (2011)

  • People are constantly in motion; public transportation carries passengers from banlieue to city centers, and neighborhoods are mixed.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Last year's riots have apparently driven up voter registration in the banlieues.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Many families in the Paris banlieue face economic challenges but work hard to improve their community.

Synonyms

purlieu
vsbanlieue
  • Archaic
9.9

An area near a town or city, often quieter than the center

is similar geographically but often implies social and economic problems

Antonyms

city center
  • US
18 1.1

The main area of a city with most shops and offices

How Urban

slum
77 3.0
inner city
97 3.2
banlieue
  • Literature
1 9.9
suburb
286 2.7
village
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

banlieue singular
banlieues plural

Etymology

The word banlieue comes from two old French parts: ban meaning 'authority' or 'public order' and lieue meaning 'a league', an old measure of distance. It originally named the land just outside a city's official area — the place under the city's ban and a short distance away — so today banlieue means the suburbs outside a French city, sometimes linked with social or economic problems.