# tenement

/ˈtɛnəmənt/ (US) · /tˈɛnəmənt/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tenement
Updated: 2026-05-20

## Definition

a building that has many small flats or apartments in it, usually for people who are not very rich. It is a word you might hear in old stories about cities like Edinburgh.

For teachers: a building containing multiple small flats or apartments, typically of a low standard and occupied by a working-class population. Often used in legal or historical contexts to describe housing conditions.

## Examples

- The old tenement building stood on the edge of the city.
- The city council decided to renovate the crumbling tenement to provide better living conditions for the residents.
- The historical novel explores the lives of families living in a crowded tenement, highlighting the social and economic challenges of urban poverty in the nineteenth century.

---

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.