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/Sounds like "NYEH" + "roh" (as in "row")/

Meaning

A hood person with a street attitude. Can be derogatory or affectionate depending on who says it and how, among friends it's pride, from a stranger it can be an insult.

Examples

The ñeros from the neighborhood set up a soccer game on the field.

Don't call him ñero, he takes offense.

Word family

/Sounds like "NYEH" + "roh" (as in "row")/

Meaning

A working-class neighborhood person with street looks and manners, used in a classist or dismissive way in Colombia. It targets clothes, haircut, speech, and attitude associated with lower-income backgrounds.

Examples

Don't be so classist, calling someone "ñero" just for how they dress is a cheap shot.

He showed up looking like he's from the streets but he's actually a good guy.

Regional synonyms

/Sounds like "NYEH" + "roh" (as in "row")/

Meaning

In Colombia, someone from the streets with a distinct barrio attitude and their own unwritten code. Whether it is a put-down or a term of pride depends entirely on who is saying it: between strangers it can be dismissive, but between people from the same rough neighborhood it is a badge of solidarity.

Examples

That guy has been standing on the same corner for years.

My boys from the neighborhood always had my back when things got rough.

Word family
Regional synonyms
Bandera de Argentina
Reo

Showing 3 definitions, sorted by votes

Chicano Spanglish for a traffic ticket, borrowed from English. Getting a ticket from the cops for speeding or driving uninsured is a costly fear in many Latino communities in the US.