adj · neutral

urban

UK/ˈɜːbən/US/ˈɜːrbən/UR·ban

Band 6-7speakingtask2

relating to towns and cities

Examples

Many young people prefer urban living because of job opportunities and nightlife.

Urban planners try to balance housing, transport and green spaces.

Air pollution tends to be worse in urban areas than in the countryside.

Band 8 sentence

I grew up in an urban neighbourhood where everything was within walking distance, so public transport was less essential.

Collocations

  • urban area
  • urban planning
  • urban population

Word family

urbanize / urbanise verburbanisation nounurbanity noun

Common mistakes

in urban areain an urban area

urban peopleurban residents / city dwellers

Say it for a higher band

5city6urban area7+urban

Synonyms

metropolitan

city

Easily confused

city

Seoul is a large city with a dense urban core.

metropolitan

The metropolitan area includes several smaller towns surrounding the capital.

Related words

Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.

In City & Urban life

Learn it with its set