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Synonyms

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.


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

"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

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; -an

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.

Resources already deployed to Los Angeles and Ventura counties include seven swift-water rescue teams, three bulldozers, four hand crews, seven fire engines, two helicopters, one urban search-and-rescue company and more than 20 support personnel.

From Los Angeles Times

The instrumental “Tonic” is dark, mysterious, and oddly melodic, evoking an urban landscape in a film sequence charged with danger.

From The Wall Street Journal

“A big part of what I do is walking and doing urban hikes,” she said, noting that she’s trekked through nearly 20 countries.

From Los Angeles Times

Opposition occurs in both red and blue counties and affects both urban and rural communities.

From Los Angeles Times

The RHS says slime mould has been used in some "incredible practical applications", including urban transport mapping simulations and in the search for dark matter.

From BBC