gentrified
Americanadjective
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very or excessively refined or elegant.
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subjected to gentrification.
Etymology
Origin of gentrified
Explanation
A gentrified neighborhood has transformed from being a poor, working-class area to one where wealthier people live. There are usually many places to buy a latte in a gentrified neighborhood, but very few minority-owned businesses. If an area is gentrified, it's gone through a transition. From a neighborhood that was inhabited by working-class and poor residents, often people of color, it's become wealthier and (usually) whiter. The buildings in a gentrified neighborhood may look tidier, with fixed-up homes and brand new businesses, but many of the people who were there for their whole lives can no longer afford to live there. Gentrified is rooted in gentry, "nobility," or "upper-middle class."
Vocabulary lists containing gentrified
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It happened place by place, inch by inch, a dusty disco ball left in the rummage while a Starbucks or a boutique gym rose to serve the freshly gentrified block around it.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
The front MacPherson struts and rear multi-links have been upgraded and thoroughly gentrified.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
But as it moved through the gentrified streets, the initially peaceful protest turned ugly.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2025
He grew up visiting relatives in San Miguel de Allende — a town now heavily gentrified by American immigrants — wishing to one day film a project on its cobblestone streets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2025
This is the Mission District, a gentrified hotbed of sushi, tapas, hip Mexican restaurants, and upscale furniture stores.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
