What does "urban" mean?
Of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or happening or located in, a city or town; of, pertaining to, or characteristic of life in such a place, especially when contrasted with the countryside.
Urban
/ˈɜːb(ə)n/ adj, name
adj, name ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or happening or located in, a city or town; of, pertaining to, or characteristic of life in such a place, especially when contrasted with the countryside.
- Grammar: urban is listed as adj, name.
- Nearest alternatives: agglomerated, big city, bogota, capital.
- Useful contrasts: bucolic, noncity, nonurban.
- Usage evidence: Bicycles are tools for urban sustainability.
How to use "urban"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "urban" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "urban" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "urban" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "urban" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "urban" is acting as adj, name in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "agglomerated" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "urban", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or happening or located in, a city or town; of, pertaining to, or characteristic of life in such a place, especially when contrasted with the countryside.
"urban life"
- 2 Living in a city or town.
"Inſomuch, as thoſe citizens vvere reputed for cheeſe and principall, vvho vvere poſſeſſed of land and living in the countrey: and theſe made the State, called the Ruſtick Tribes, in Rome: vvheras contrarivviſe the other eſtate, reputed the meaner in degree, vvas named the Vrbane Tribes; conſiſting of Artiſanes & ſuch like as vvere not landed perſons: into vvhich, if a man vvere transferred from any of the reſt, it vvas thought a great ſhame and diſgrace, as if hee vvere reproched for idleneſſe and negligence in husbandrie."
- 3 Having authority or jurisdiction over a city or town.
"All theſe Magiſtrats are but temporary, and have a time limited them; the Urbane or Citty Magiſtrats ſome of them continue in office 6. months, others 8. months, others are annuall; […]"
- 4 Relating to contemporary African American culture, especially in music. US, archaic, proscribed
- 5 Of an inhabitant or resident: black; African-American. UK, US, euphemistic, offensive
Adjective
- 1 located in or characteristic of a city or city life wordnet
- 2 relating to or concerned with a city or densely populated area wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A male given name from Latin. countable, uncommon, uncountable
- 2 A surname originating as a patronymic. countable, uncountable
- 3 An early Christian, also Urbane and Urbanus in various versions of the Bible. countable, uncountable
"Grete wel Vrban, oure helpere in Crist Jhesus, and Stacchen, my derlyng."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Bicycles are tools for urban sustainability."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "urban"?
Common synonyms include: agglomerated, big city, bogota, capital, capital b, capital region development.
How do you use "urban" in a sentence?
Bicycles are tools for urban sustainability.
How do you pronounce "urban"?
Pronounced /ˈɜːb(ə)n/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Middle French urbain (“belonging to a city, urban; courteous, refined, urbane”) (modern French urbain), or from its etymon Latin urbānus (“of or belonging to a city, urban; of manners or style: like those of city dwellers: cultivated, polished, refined, sophisticated”) + English -an (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Urbānus is derived from urbs (“city; walled town; Rome”) (further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- (“to encircle, enclose; a belt; an enclosure, fence”) or *werbʰ- (“to enclose”)) + -ānus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). For the euphemistic or proscribed term, it was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music.
Etymology 2
Latin Urbānus, name of eight early popes, from urbānus (“of the town or city, urbane”). Doublet of Orban.