gentrify

[jen-truh-fahy]

verb (used with object)

gentrified, gentrifying 

1. to alter (a deteriorated urban neighborhood) through the buying and renovation of houses and stores by upper- or middle-income families or individuals, raising property values but often displacing low-income families and small businesses.

2. to conform to an upper- or middle-class lifestyle; make appealing to those with more affluent tastes.

   Fish and chips have been gentrified.

verb (used without object)

gentrified, gentrifying 

1. to undergo this type of change.

   Some neighborhoods gentrify more quickly than others.

Other Word Forms

• gentrifier noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of gentrify¹

First recorded in 1970–75; gentry + -fy

Example Sentences

“Not that Jesus really had blue eyes. He probably looked very Iranian, right? But you know the Catholics — they had to gentrify him.”

From Los Angeles Times

And the remodeling of East London into a gentrified glass forest, a minor plot point, has only just begun.

From Los Angeles Times

California’s 34th District is overwhelmingly composed of renters and includes some of the most densely populated working-class neighborhoods in the country, as well as some of the most rapidly gentrifying sections of Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

But as it moved through the gentrified streets, the initially peaceful protest turned ugly.

From BBC

Anything less ignores the reality of the majority, and nearly ensures that these places will return more gentrified, wealthier and even more exclusive, the exact opposite of what public dollars should support.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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• reestablish www.thesaurus.com
• reopen 
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• resume 
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