asphalt jungle
A city or urban area, where the landscape is covered by pavement and the environment is alienating and unsafe.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Life in the asphalt jungle is often loud and stressful.”
“After moving from the quiet countryside, he found it difficult to adjust to the noise and crowds of the asphalt jungle.”
“The weary traveler navigated the cold, gray streets of the asphalt jungle, feeling entirely disconnected from the natural world he once called home.”
first recorded 20th c.
From W. R. Burnett's novel The Asphalt Jungle (1949).
- 01
concrete jungle
An urban or other populated area containing a high density of buildings constructed of concrete or similar materials, especially one which lacks greenery and which seems unattractive, harsh, or unsafe.
- 02
jungle telegraph
A system used by primitive cultures in remote tropical regions for communication over long distances, such as drum sounds or a relay of runners.
- 03
King of the Jungle
The lion; Panthera leo.
Last updated August 10, 2026