Gentrification

//d͡ʒɛn.tɹɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The renewal and rebuilding that accompanies the influx of middle class or affluent people into deteriorating areas and often displaces earlier, usually poorer, residents; any example of such a process. countable, uncountable

    "Labour's manifesto contains the wild promise of 'war on the private landlord,' but this may conceal a real determination to use the powers of compulsory purchase to prevent the existing residents of places like North Kensington being driven out by the twin forces of 'gentrification' and development."

  2. 2
    the restoration of run-down urban areas by the middle class (resulting in the displacement of low-income residents) wordnet
  3. 3
    A geographical area that is gradually becoming prosperous due to investment. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
embourgeoisement

Example

More examples

"Gentrification: the process by which poor black neighborhoods become rich young white neighborhoods, usually fueled by greedy landlords wishing to exploit the greater upward mobility of whites."

Etymology

From gentry + -ification, after gentrify. Coined by German-born British sociologist Ruth Glass in 1964.

Related phrases

middle class

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.