inner city

[ in-er sit-ee ]
See synonyms for inner city on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an older part of a city, densely populated and usually deteriorating, inhabited mainly by poor, often minority, groups: Struggling schools in the inner city face substantial challenges to prepare students for college.: Compare central city.

adjectivein·ner-cit·y
  1. of or relating to such a section within a city: after-school programs for inner-city youth;low-income residents in inner-city neighborhoods.

Origin of inner city

1
First recorded in 1960–65

word story For inner city

See urban.

Words Nearby inner city

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use inner city in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for inner city

inner city

noun
    • the parts of a city in or near its centre, esp when they are associated with poverty, unemployment, substandard housing, etc

    • (as modifier): inner-city schools

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for inner city

inner city

A general term for impoverished areas of large cities. The inner city is characterized by minimal educational opportunities, high unemployment and crime rates, broken families, and inadequate housing. (See ghettos.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.