ghetto
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a part of a city where many people of the same race or ethnic group live, often in poor conditions.
n.a densely populated slum area of a city inhabited predominantly by a minority group or groups, often as a result of social or economic restrictions.
Simple“The government is trying to improve housing in the city's poorest ghettos.”
In context“Sociologists argue that systemic redlining effectively created urban ghettos by preventing minority families from securing mortgages in other neighbourhoods.”
Synonymssluminner city - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.an area of a city where Jewish people were forced to live in the past.
n.a quarter of a city in which Jews were formerly required to live by law, particularly in medieval Italy or Nazi-occupied Europe.
Simple“Visitors can still see the gates of the old Jewish ghetto in Venice.”
In context“The liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto remains one of the most tragic and well-documented chapters of the Holocaust.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
adj.something that looks cheap, broken, or poor quality.
adj.describing something perceived as low-quality, makeshift, or unrefined. Often carries derogatory class-based or racial connotations.
Simple“He used a ghetto setup with duct tape to fix his broken car window.”
In context“The students joked about their ghetto apartment, which featured a milk crate for a coffee table and a leaky ceiling.”
Teacher's tipThis usage can be offensive as it often mocks poverty or relies on racial stereotypes; learners should use it with extreme caution.
- 04 C1 Advanced
v.to force a group of people to live in a certain area or stay in a certain social level.
v.to restrict or confine a particular group to a specific area or a lower social status.
Simple“The new laws threatened to ghetto the immigrant population even further.”
In context“By failing to provide adequate public transport, the city council effectively ghettoed the residents of the outer suburbs.”
UsageThe verb is transitive and usually takes a human group as its object.
“He grew up in the ghetto, became a global superstar – then gave it all up.”
Borrowed from the name of the Venetian Ghetto, whose etymology and original source language is uncertain. Compare Italian ghetto.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.