inner city

[ in-er sit-ee ]

noun

1. an older part of a city, densely populated and usually deteriorating, inhabited mainly by poor, often minority, groups: Compare central city.

   Struggling schools in the inner city face substantial challenges to prepare students for college.

adjective

1. of or relating to such a section within a city: low-income residents in inner-city neighborhoods.

   after-school programs for inner-city youth;

   low-income residents in inner-city neighborhoods.

inner city

noun

1. 1. the parts of a city in or near its centre, esp when they are associated with poverty, unemployment, substandard housing, etc
   2. ( as modifier )

      inner-city schools

inner city

1. A general term for impoverished areas of large cities. The inner city is characterized by minimal educational opportunities, high unemployment and crime rates, broken families, and inadequate housing. ( See ghettos .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of inner city¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

In those moments I feel so far from home — my original home, on the East Coast in the inner city, where my closest natural respite was a patch of grass beside a fire hydrant.

From Los Angeles Times

In previous decades, Dublin had been battling heroin in inner city communities.

From BBC

When it comes to schools he's seen it all - from teaching maths in boarding schools, to running inner city comprehensives in England.

From BBC

Living in the inner city in L.A., there’s smog, light pollution, sound pollution; we’re towered by these skyscrapers and all these street lights — our access to seeing the stars is blanketed.

From Los Angeles Times

“We wanted to start in the inner city, because Dre and especially me, I owe a lot to the inner city of Los Angeles and we intend to pay it back,” Iovine said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• central city
• downtown
• slum