suburban
Americanadjective
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pertaining to, inhabiting, or being in a suburb or the suburbs of a city or town.
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characteristic of a suburb or suburbs.
noun
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a suburbanite.
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a short overcoat for casual wear.
adjective
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of, relating to, situated in, or inhabiting a suburb or the suburbs
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characteristic of or typifying a suburb or the suburbs
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pejorative narrow or unadventurous in outlook
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of suburban
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin suburbānus “located close to a city (especially to Rome),” equivalent to sub- + urb- (stem of urbs “city”) + -ānus adjective suffix; see origin at sub-, urban
Explanation
Suburban refers to areas just beyond a city’s border. Your parents might have grown up in the city and then moved to a more suburban area after they had kids. If you see a lot of malls, plus houses that all look the same, and you're just outside a city, then you're in a suburban area: the suburbs. If you're from the suburbs, the chaos of New York City might be shocking. Suburban areas aren't as busy as urban (city) areas, but there's a lot more going on than in rural areas — farmland. One difference between suburban and urban areas is the urban areas have more cabs and public transportation.
Vocabulary lists containing suburban
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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.
How about a cool $100,000 to be driven through the Lincoln Tunnel in Tony Soprano’s 1999 Chevy Suburban?
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
Throughout the 90s, Hogan's popularity transcended the wrestling ring, appearing in films including Mr Nanny and Suburban Commando.
From BBC • Jul. 24, 2025
Suburban women, Fischer Martin said, is a “general term,” and a “far cry” from the “soccer mom definition” that was used in the 1990s.
From Salon • Aug. 22, 2024
Suburban city leaders and county officials sent a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee recently asking for more support and expressing anxiety that the migrants will continue to stretch out across their municipalities.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 5, 2024
There were only a few cars in the parking lot, and no white Suburban.
From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar
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.
