ghettoize

verb

ghet·​to·​ize ˈge-tō-ˌīz How to pronounce ghettoize (audio)
ghettoized; ghettoizing

transitive verb

: to isolate in or as if in a ghetto
ghettoization noun

Examples of ghettoize in a Sentence

Parts of the city that had been ghettoized are now being restored.
Recent Examples on the Web Other analysts see the law as a ploy to marginalize the kind of multiculturalism promoted in the European Union – and to ghettoize Russian-speaking Ukrainians. Mansur Mirovalev, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Aug. 2021 Unsurprisingly, neighborhoods that were lower income and more heavily populated with people of color — due to decades of redlining and ghettoizing practices — were often denied service by lower-cost haulers and unfairly overpriced by others. Janaé Bates and Ahmed Anshur, Twin Cities, 17 Oct. 2019 For so long, films that depict a reality where whiteness isn’t the default have been ghettoized, marketed largely to audiences of color as niche entertainment, instead of as part of the mainstream. Jamil Smith, TIME.com, 8 Feb. 2018 Old housing laws that ghettoized minorities and barred them from educational and professional opportunities limited their ability to transcend their economic class -- and have lasting effects, even today. Issac Bailey, CNN, 25 May 2017 Immigrant communities in Europe are much more ghettoized, much less warmly accepted. Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker, 15 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ghettoize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ghettoize was in 1939

Dictionary Entries Near ghettoize

Cite this Entry

“Ghettoize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ghettoize. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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