Jump To:

• Brasília
  Brasília

  noun

  a city in and the capital of Brazil, on the central plateau.
• Brasilia
  Brasilia

  Capital of Brazil, located in its central highlands.

Brasília

American  

[bruh-zil-yuh, brah-zeel-yuh] / brəˈzɪl jə, brɑˈzil jə /

noun

1. a city in and the capital of Brazil, on the central plateau.

---

Brasília British  

/ brəˈzɪljə, brəziˈliːa /

noun

1. the capital of Brazil (since 1960), on the central plateau: the former capital was Rio de Janeiro. Pop: 3 341 000 (2005 est)

---

Brasilia Cultural  

1. Capital of Brazil, located in its central highlands.

---

Discover More

One of the newest cities in the world, Brasilia was inaugurated in 1960 to replace Rio de Janeiro as Brazil's capital. The Brazilian government moved the capital in an effort to promote development in central Brazil. In less than thirty years, its population had grown to over a million inhabitants.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Brasília Brasilia

The dispute comes as ties between Washington and Brasília have deteriorated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

I sometimes hear echoes of what I used to hear about Brasília.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026

I lived part of my teen years in Brasília, the capital built from scratch whose architecture and urban planning have drawn equal parts fascination and disdain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026

Meanwhile, the corridors of the presidential palace in Brasília were buzzing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025

His lawyers said that he followed the proceedings from his home in Brasília, where he is being kept under house arrest.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2025

“What we love about Brasilia is how it holds both realities at once,” Roy said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

As of June, Brasilia was spending more than it took in at a pace equivalent to 10% of GDP, according to the central bank.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Moraes had also previously denied Milei permission to visit the former president while he was under house arrest in Brasilia.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Brasilia has rejected Washington's accusations, saying that PIX has expanded the entire digital payments system, which increases online activity and benefits US companies like Google.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

And the advocates of development are often from Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, or Brasilia, cities that are thousands of miles away from the Amazon and culturally almost as remote as environmentalists’ cities.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann