locality
Americannoun
-
localities
plural
-
a place, spot, or district, with or without reference to things or persons in it or to occurrences there.
They moved to another locality.
-
the state or fact of being local or having a location.
the locality that every material object must have.
noun
-
a neighbourhood or area
-
the site or scene of an event
-
the fact or condition of having a location or position in space
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of locality
From the Late Latin word locālitās, dating back to 1620–30. See local, -ity
Explanation
Use the noun locality when you need an official-sounding way to say "area" or "region." For example, you might say, "I am so pleased to finally have a doughnut shop in my locality." You're most likely to come across the word locality in a news story or business report. It's a formal way to talk about a neighborhood or a section of town. The mayor might make a speech about crime in a particular locality, or the prevalence of potholes in another locality. The word has been in use since the 1700's, from the Latin word localis, "relating to or belonging to a place."
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.
See Examples For:
"This enabled us to get enough specific locality information to prepare a Fossil Record Form and to scientifically catalogue the fossil," Daphne says.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026
They said the decision had been taken after "listening to concerns about the impact of staging it in August, when other music festivals are taking place in the locality".
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
No other government uses this system—no locality, no state, no country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
There’s a value in locality, too; showing now, for example, not just what country the beans are from, but also what farm they’re grown on and what grade they are.
From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2025
That locality was always vaguely disquieting, even in the broad glare of afternoon, and now I turned my head as though I had been warned of something behind.
From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
In some localities there have been questions over hygiene practices.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Chinese companies and localities could decide whether they wanted to meet them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Authorities described the conditions Sunday as still "challenging", but two of the fire fronts -- heading towards the localities of Jalhay and Monschau -- were now "under control", according to Interior Minister Bernard Quintin.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Voters have launched a ballot campaign to repeal the tax and bar the state and localities from enacting income taxes in the future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Some of them worshipped nature spirits, gods of particular localities, their own ancestors, and female shamans who spoke with departed spirits and delivered prayers in song.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
