gentrification

noun

gen·​tri·​fi·​ca·​tion ˌjen-trə-fə-ˈkā-shən 

: a process in which a poor area (as of a city) experiences an influx of middle-class or wealthy people who renovate and rebuild homes and businesses and which often results in an increase in property values and the displacement of earlier, usually poorer residents

a neighborhood undergoing gentrification

"This week, we're talking about gentrification. Middle-class people move in. Property values and rents rise. Things change and improve but not for everyone. …"

—Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Opposition is also stoked by fear of gentrification—displacement of longtime residents through higher rents or property taxes.

—Steven Litt

The construction of luxury housing and gentrification of neighborhoods is pushing families out of communities they have called home for years.

—Heidi Romanish and David Snyder

In an effort to keep gentrification from creeping in the same way into the 30th Ward … Jessica Gutierrez wants to keep a lid on property taxes and inform residents about affordable housing.

—Alexandra Arriaga

Examples of gentrification in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Moses pointed to Black developers buying property in historically Black neighborhoods such as Overtown in Miami or Sistrunk in Fort Lauderdale that are experiencing gentrification as part of a growing trend in South Florida and nationwide. —Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2025

Among her concerns: gentrification in downtown Aurora was hurting seniors and the disabled. —Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2025

As a result, despite Baltimore’s seeming head start on the Opportunity Zone law, that potential largely fizzled under the pressure of gentrification fears and monied interests and failed to capture the true potential of the legislation. —Venroy July, Baltimore Sun, 28 Jan. 2025

Now, the community is trying to ensure that it isn’t washed away amid gentrification and economic shifts. —Sara Miller Llana, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

gentry + -ification

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gentrification

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration