# asphalt jungle

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/asphalt-jungle
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A city or urban area, where the landscape is covered by pavement and the environment is alienating and unsafe.

## Examples

- 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.

## Origin

From W. R. Burnett's novel The Asphalt Jungle (1949).

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.