asphalt jungle

American  

[as-fawlt juhng-guhl] / ˈæs fɔlt ˈdʒʌŋ gəl /

noun

1. concrete jungle.

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Etymology

Origin of asphalt jungle

Apparently coined by George Ade ( def. ) in a fable published in 1917; popularized by a novel of the same title (1949) by W.R. Burnett (1899–1982), U.S. novelist and screenwriter

Example Sentences

The annual Dubai Ride saw bikes race down Sheikh Zayed Road, a 10-lane asphalt jungle that gives drivers a view of the world’s tallest building and other sites.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 4, 2021

It doesn’t feel all that safe to navigate this asphalt jungle from the supposed haven of a crosswalk.

From Washington Times • Apr. 13, 2019

While the Miser enjoys a short vacation, let those of us left behind create our own staycation on the cheap, right here in our boiling but beloved asphalt jungle.

From New York Times • Jul. 31, 2014

While Strydom captured scenes of rural African soccer, the American painter Marcus Jansen’s urban expressionistic paintings set the sport in a surrealistic asphalt jungle.

From New York Times • Jul. 10, 2010

The latter is the story of a well-read tribal chief who becomes the toast of the asphalt jungle and accidentally eats his wife at a barbecue.

From Time Magazine Archive