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

Then there’s myself, the daughter of Salvadoran refugees, who continuously writes about Los Angeles before and after gentrification. —Yesika Salgado, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026

The overarching narrative is that New York is now doggier than ever, a product of the pandemic puppy boom, or gentrification, or declining (human) birth rates, or the suburbanization of the city. —Rachel Sugar, Curbed, 8 Apr. 2026

This April, readers have plenty of new books to look forward to, including a metafictional exploration of memory, a look at the effects of family vlogging and a mysterious depiction of gentrification in Brooklyn. —Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 7 Apr. 2026

After 25 years of abstract painting in Venice Beach, Boissonnault says the inspiration and creativity that once defined her work were being eroded by the gentrification affecting that corner of America. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2026

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