Retornado

Retornado is a term used in Portuguese and Spanish that functions as an adjective meaning “returned” or “having come back,” and as the past participle of the verb retornar. In everyday language it describes people or things that have returned to a place after a period away.

In Portuguese, the masculine singular form is retornado, the feminine singular retornada, the masculine plural retornados, and the feminine plural retornadas. As an adjective, it can describe a person who has come back to a city, country, or situation, as in a phrase like “o viajante retornado.” In some Lusophone contexts, especially in Cape Verde and other postcolonial settings, a more specific sociocultural use exists for the noun form retornados (plural) to refer to communities or individuals who returned to their homeland after living abroad, with particular attention to social and economic integration.

In Spanish, retor­nado (often written without accent marks in many varieties) similarly serves as the past participle of retornar and as an adjective meaning returned. Like Portuguese, it can describe someone who has come back from travel, exile, or migration, and it may appear in historical or literary contexts to indicate a return from abroad.

Culturally and historically, the concept of retornados/retornados has been significant in some Lusophone and Hispanic-speaking regions, where return migration has shaped demographic patterns, housing, and social policy. The term can also appear in titles or descriptions in literature and film, used to evoke themes of homecoming, reintegration, or identity.

See also: return, return migration, retornos.