urban
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or designating a city or town.
densely populated urban areas.
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living, located, or taking place in a city.
urban rooftop gardening.
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characteristic of or accustomed to cities; citified.
He’s an urban type—I can’t picture him enjoying a whole week at our cabin in the woods.
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of or relating to the experience, lifestyle, or culture of African Americans living in economically depressed inner-city neighborhoods.
Their first album had a hard, urban vibe.
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Offensive. (used as a euphemism for Black or African American, rather than in reference to cities or their residents).
a drug problem that particularly impacts the urban residents in this small town.
adjective
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of, relating to, or constituting a city or town
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living in a city or town
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(of music) emerging and developing in densely populated areas of large cities, esp those populated by people of African or Caribbean origin Compare rural
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of urban
First recorded in 1610–20; from Latin urbānus, equivalent to urb- (stem of urbs ) “city” + -ānus adjective suffix; see -an
Explanation
Use the adjective urban to refer to cities or people who live in cities. It carries a suggestion of grittiness––urban style involves darker colors. The terms city and town are sometimes used inconsistently. If it is large enough, a town is considered to be an urban area. Communities where people live outside cities are called suburban. Urban is from a Latin adjective formed from urbs "city."
Vocabulary lists containing urban
Donald Trump Inauguration Address- January 20, 2017
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East Asia - Middle School
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East Asia - Introductory
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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.
Experts say cities like Delhi are especially vulnerable because of the "urban heat island effect", where concrete, traffic and limited green cover trap heat and keep cities hotter than surrounding areas.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
Alice Darson, an urban planning lawyer from Paris, said the detention centre should not violate planning regulations as it falls under the category of "facilities of collective interest and public service".
From BBC • May 27, 2026
“The important question is whether regulatory systems, emergency preparedness and land use decisions are keeping pace with changing industrial hazards and growing urban densities.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
They live in Monte Alto, in the countryside of São Paulo state, and often go to a neighboring town, Jaboticabal, to see capybaras in the urban wild.
From Slate • May 27, 2026
Is actually a thing and not just an urban myth.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
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.
