urban

[ur-buhn]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating a city or town.

   densely populated urban areas.

2. living, located, or taking place in a city.

   urban rooftop gardening.

3. characteristic of or accustomed to cities; citified.

   He’s an urban type—I can’t picture him enjoying a whole week at our cabin in the woods.

4. of or relating to the experience, lifestyle, or culture of African Americans living in economically depressed inner-city neighborhoods.

   Their first album had a hard, urban vibe.

5. Offensive.,  (used as a euphemism for Black or African American, rather than in reference to cities or their residents).

   a drug problem that particularly impacts the urban residents in this small town.

urban

/ ˈɜːbən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or constituting a city or town

2. living in a city or town

3. (of music) emerging and developing in densely populated areas of large cities, esp those populated by people of African or Caribbean origin Compare rural

Other Word Forms

• antiurban adjective
• nonurban adjective
• semiurban adjective
• unurban adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of urban¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin urbānus, equivalent to urb- (stem of urbs ) “city” + -ānus adjective suffix; -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of urban¹

C17: from Latin urbānus, from urbs city

Example Sentences

Against bucolic and urban images of industry and humanity, Reagan begins in his unmistakable voice, “When someone says ‘Let’s impose tariffs on foreign imports,’ it looks like they’re doing the patriotic thing.”

Read more on Salon

In the voter-rich urban areas of Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay area, Proposition 50 led by wide margins, the poll found.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He added that "80-90% of roofs were destroyed", along with hospitals, libraries, police stations, port houses and other urban infrastructure.

Read more on BBC

This may work in some of the rough-and-tumble scraps of urban politics, but it’s hardly the approach of someone who wants to unite a city as important as New York.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The ongoing joint project, which drew from urban tree canopy maps developed by study partners the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the U.S.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• civic 
• civil 
• downtown 
• metropolitan