inner city

American  

[in-er sit-ee] / ˈɪn ər ˈsɪt i /

noun

inner cities plural

1. an older part of a city, densely populated and usually deteriorating, inhabited mainly by poor, often minority, groups.

   Struggling schools in the inner city face substantial challenges to prepare students for college.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to such a section within a city: low-income residents in inner-city neighborhoods.

   after-school programs for inner-city youth;

   low-income residents in inner-city neighborhoods.

inner city British  

noun

1. 1. the parts of a city in or near its centre, esp when they are associated with poverty, unemployment, substandard housing, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      inner-city schools

---

inner city Cultural  

1. A general term for impoverished areas of large cities. The inner city is characterized by minimal educational opportunities, high unemployment and crime rates, broken families, and inadequate housing. (See ghettos.)

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• inner cities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of inner city

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inner city

Another $2,000 is listed for Cornerstone Schools that year “to assist the inner city schools in Uganda,” which is what Cornerstone Schools does in Detroit and Cornerstone Development does not do in Uganda’s inner-city schools.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

The population had been falling for years; the words "inner city" were regarded as a mark of degradation.

From BBC ● May 17, 2026

The old powers from the inner city — Crenshaw, Dorsey, Jefferson, Locke and Fremont — experienced big changes in demographics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2026

Maverick Carter, a longtime friend and business partner of both James and Schottenstein who runs an entertainment company, describes meeting Schottenstein as “a young African-American kid from the inner city of Akron, Ohio.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2025

They sent students to the Deep South for civil rights projects and to the inner city for fieldwork.

From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom

Related Words

• central city
• downtown
• slum