suburban

American  

[suh-bur-buhn] / səˈbɜr bən /

adjective

1. pertaining to, inhabiting, or being in a suburb or the suburbs of a city or town.

2. characteristic of a suburb or suburbs.

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noun

1. a suburbanite.

2. a short overcoat for casual wear.

3. station wagon.

suburban British  

/ səˈbɜːbən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, situated in, or inhabiting a suburb or the suburbs

2. characteristic of or typifying a suburb or the suburbs

3. pejorative narrow or unadventurous in outlook

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noun

1. another word for suburbanite

Other Word Forms

• nonsuburban adjective
• semisuburban adjective
• suburbanism noun
• unsuburban adjective

Etymology

Origin of suburban

First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin suburbānus “located close to a city (especially to Rome),” equivalent to sub- + urb- (stem of urbs “city”) + -ānus adjective suffix; sub-, urban

Example Sentences

In a flashback, Martini is seen leaving his shabby Potter-owned apartment with a goat and a troop of kids for a suburban tract home that Bailey developed and sold to him.

From Los Angeles Times

McMurrough, a 38-year-old business owner in suburban Richmond, Va., told the Journal he ignored the requests because of the pressure he felt from Moss.

From The Wall Street Journal

Guns are widespread in metropolitan and suburban areas, with one in three firearms in NSW located in major cities, the report said.

From BBC

In any other movie, the pop-punk confection of the Veronicas’ “Untouched” would be a perfect cue to establish its setting in middle-class suburban Australia, as light and lucky a place as ever was.

From Los Angeles Times

Then there are the theater industry giants in big cities and suburban malls, which have automated, insulated and homogenized the moviegoing experience for most Americans.

From Salon

Related Words

• rural