slurb

[ slurb ]

noun

1. a shabby, ill-planned suburban area.

Other Words From

• slurban adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of slurb¹

First recorded in 1960–65; sl(um) + (sub)urb

Example Sentences

“Slurb” includes flat, bold-colored figures in Asian-style boats paddling past half-submerged cars, trailers, bridges and tires.

From New York Times

Opposite this video is “Slurb,” an animation from 2009 commissioned by the city of Tampa that conflates the words “slum” and “suburb” in its title.

From New York Times

Today, with 50% of the population crammed into the corridor, it is a smog-covered slurb.

From Time Magazine Archive

Not only is prime farm land taken out of production, but it is also developed in an inefficient way; the term "slurb" was coined in California to describe sleazy, sprawling subdivisions.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nonetheless, a well-planned new town seems infinitely preferable to the typical American "slurb," with its dreary tracts, its jumbled community facilities and its tangle of roadways.

From Time Magazine Archive