inner city

American  

[in-er sit-ee] / ˈɪn ər ˈsɪt i /

noun

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

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

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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 British  

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

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inner city Cultural  

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.)

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Etymology

Origin of inner city

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

“I was in the inner city, I’m not going to shy away from that,” he says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

The old powers from the inner city — Crenshaw, Dorsey, Jefferson, Locke and Fremont — experienced big changes in demographics.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2026

Maverick Carter, a longtime friend and business partner of both James and Schottenstein who runs an entertainment company, describes meeting Schottenstein as “a young African-American kid from the inner city of Akron, Ohio.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 30, 2025

Recruiting players from inner city Los Angeles used to be a priority for USC and UCLA.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2025

It was 96 percent black, but it wasn’t in the inner city, and most of its students did not come from deprived backgrounds but from middle-class ones.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Related Words

• central city
• downtown
• slum