urban

American  

[ur-buhn] / ˈɜr bən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating a city or town.

   densely populated urban areas.

2. living, located, or taking place in a city.

   urban rooftop gardening.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

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urban British  

/ ˈɜːbən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or constituting a city or town

2. living in a city or town

3. (of music) emerging and developing in densely populated areas of large cities, esp those populated by people of African or Caribbean origin Compare rural

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Other Word Forms

• antiurban adjective
• nonurban adjective
• semiurban adjective
• unurban adjective

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."

Example Sentences

This pattern was limited to urban areas directly in the path of totality.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

I lived part of my teen years in Brasília, the capital built from scratch whose architecture and urban planning have drawn equal parts fascination and disdain.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Importantly, land values largely reflect the benefits of public investments that make urban locations desirable—in transit, schools, parks, for example.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

India already reserves 33% seats for women in village councils and municipal corporations in urban areas.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

It was a beautifully written story, but, more important, it was a story about the black urban experience.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

• civic
• civil
• downtown
• metropolitan