gentrification
Americannoun
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the buying and renovation of houses and stores in deteriorated urban neighborhoods by upper- or middle-income families or individuals, raising property values but often displacing low-income families and small businesses.
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the process of conforming to an upper- or middle-class lifestyle, or of making a product, activity, etc., appealing to those with more affluent tastes.
the gentrification of fashion.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gentrification
gentr(y) ( def. ) + -i- ( def. ) + -fication; coined by sociologist Ruth Glass (1912–90), German-born British sociologist in 1964
Explanation
When people with money start fixing up poor neighborhoods, that’s gentrification. Sounds great, except it usually means the poor residents can’t afford to live there anymore and have to move. In the United Kingdom, the gentry are the highest class of people aside from royalty. When you add -fication (the suffix that means “making”), you see how gentrification means "making something suitable for a higher class of people," usually the middle class (the upper class already have their mansions). When a neighborhood goes through gentrification, buildings get makeovers, new businesses open, and many people who’ve lived there their entire lives must leave because everything gets more expensive.
Vocabulary lists containing gentrification
Human Geography - Middle School
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Human Geography - High School
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The Other Wes Moore
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bad Bunny's song addresses the loss of local control through the impact of tourism, gentrification and displacement -- using Hawaii as a cautionary tale for Puerto Ricans.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
If the original-format gentrification was all about moving into a neighborhood with cheap rent, this second-wave gentrification is about moving in on taste.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
D.C. experienced the most intense gentrification of any place in the country between 2000 and 2016, according to an analysis from the University of Minnesota Law School.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Opponents say it could eventually lead to gentrification and over-policing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 20, 2026
It was an article from a local paper in northern Florida, talking about a word I had never heard before: gentrification.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
