inner city
[ in-er sit-ee ]
/ ˈɪn ər ˈsɪt i /
noun
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.Compare central city.
adjective in·ner-cit·y
of or relating to such a section within a city: after-school programs for inner-city youth;low-income residents in inner-city neighborhoods.
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Origin of inner city
First recorded in 1960–65
historical usage of inner city
See urban.
Words nearby inner city
inner bar, inner barrister, inner cell mass, inner child, inner circle, inner city, inner-directed, inner ear, Inner Hebrides, inner jib, Inner Light
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for inner city
British Dictionary definitions for inner city
inner city
noun
- the parts of a city in or near its centre, esp when they are associated with poverty, unemployment, substandard housing, etc
- (as modifier)inner-city schools
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for inner city
inner city
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.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.