ghetto

CEFRB2

/ˈɡɛ.təʊ/

noun · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    An area where a minority group is forced or chooses to live.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    An (often impoverished) area of a city inhabited predominantly by members of a specific nationality, ethnicity, or race.

Examples

  • The ghetto in this town is dangerous at night.

  • The university is located a few blocks from the edge of the ghetto.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈɡɛɾoʊ̯]
  • /ˈɡɛ.toʊ/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. An area in which people who are distinguished by sharing something other than ethnicity concentrate or are concentrated.

  2. An (often walled) area of a city in which Jews are concentrated by force and law. (Used particularly of areas in medieval Italy and in Nazi-controlled Europe.)

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Of or relating to a ghetto or to ghettos in general.

More examples

In context

  • I like to drive ghetto cars; if they break down you can just abandon them and pick up a new one!

  • My apartment's so ghetto, the rats and cockroaches filed a complaint with the city!

  • 2016 January 10, Quentin Tarantino, 73rd Golden Globe Awards Ennio Morricone... is my favourite composer - and when I say favourite composer, I don't mean movie composer - that ghetto. I'm talking about Mozart, I'm talking about Beethoven, I'm talking about S...

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The old blank area had poor housing and few services.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Borrowed from the name of the Venetian Ghetto, whose etymology and original source language is uncertain. Compare Italian ghetto.