gentrification

American  

[jen-truh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌdʒɛn trə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the buying and renovation of houses and stores in deteriorated urban neighborhoods by upper- or middle-income families or individuals, raising property values but often displacing low-income families and small businesses.

2. the process of conforming to an upper- or middle-class lifestyle, or of making a product, activity, etc., appealing to those with more affluent tastes.

   the gentrification of fashion.

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gentrification British  

/ ˌdʒɛntrɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. a process by which middle-class people take up residence in a traditionally working-class area of a city, changing the character of the area

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Other Word Forms

• gentrifier
  noun

Etymology

Origin of gentrification

gentr(y) ( def. ) + -i- ( def. ) + -fication; coined by sociologist Ruth Glass (1912–90), German-born British sociologist in 1964

Explanation

When people with money start fixing up poor neighborhoods, that’s gentrification. Sounds great, except it usually means the poor residents can’t afford to live there anymore and have to move. In the United Kingdom, the gentry are the highest class of people aside from royalty. When you add -fication (the suffix that means “making”), you see how gentrification means "making something suitable for a higher class of people," usually the middle class (the upper class already have their mansions). When a neighborhood goes through gentrification, buildings get makeovers, new businesses open, and many people who’ve lived there their entire lives must leave because everything gets more expensive.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gentrification

He explains how Meridian Hill Park was historically a place for the city's Black community to gather, and still is, despite rapid gentrification of the area.

From Barron's ● May 19, 2026

Given that gentrification, almost by definition, transforms high-disorder areas into tidier ones, and given that the process appears to be continuing in New York and other cities, hasn’t Mr. Gottlieb got matters exactly backward?

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

It is about friendship and creativity and New York City, specifically the East Village when you didn’t walk past First Avenue alone, on the edge of gentrification and the 1988 Tompkins Square Park riots.

From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2026

An influx of artists, collectors and art fans will surely have an impact on an area that is already wary of gentrification and the rising cost of living that accompanies it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026

It was an article from a local paper in northern Florida, talking about a word I had never heard before: gentrification.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya