ghetto

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noun ghet·to \ ˈge-(ˌ)tō \

Definition of ghetto

plural ghettos also ghettoes

1 :a quarter of a city in which Jews were formerly required to live

2 :a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure

3 a :an isolated group

a geriatric ghetto

b :a situation that resembles a ghetto especially in conferring inferior status or limiting opportunity

the pink-collar ghetto

See ghetto defined for English-language learners

See ghetto defined for kids

Examples of ghetto in a Sentence

He grew up in the ghetto.

Recent Examples of ghetto from the Web

All Jewish and Roma people in Kristal's area were forcibly relocated to the Lodz ghetto.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "World’s Oldest Man, a Holocaust Survivor, Dies at 113," 14 Aug. 2017
The program was a high-level, intensive educational experience that included visits to concentration camps (such as Treblinka and Majdanek), ghetto sites and Holocaust memorials — as well as meetings with local historians and educators.

— randall p. lieberman, Jewish Journal, "Palm Beach County Holocaust educator visits Europe on study trip," 10 Aug. 2017
This includes displays of emotion stereotyped as excessive: so happy, so sassy, so ghetto, so loud.

— lauren michele jackson, Teen Vogue, "We Need to Talk About Digital Blackface in Reaction GIFs," 2 Aug. 2017
But such coverage risks becoming a high-cost ghetto for the chronically ill, experts said.

— jay hancock, Kaiser Health News, "Analysis: Senate’s Latest Health Blueprint Cuts Costs At The Expense Of Chronically Ill," 17 July 2017
Set in an urban ghetto, Antoinette Nwandu's Pass Over features not only the requisite brutal white cop but also a satanic Caucasian in a nice suit, who tempts two poor young black men with goodies out of the picnic basket of the American dream.

— tony adler, Chicago Reader, "Hir is Steppenwolf’s latest, funniest victim-impact statement," 12 July 2017
The amazing thing about the ghetto is that so few Negroes have rioted.

— Washington Post, "Newark riots recall an era echoed by Black Lives Matter," 7 July 2017
Throughout her journey, the blanket kept her warm and reminded her of her mother and family who had been left behind in the ghetto.

— steve johnson, chicagotribune.com, "40 local museum treasures you need to see now," 6 July 2017
The guy sitting in the back wore some kind of t-shirt about a geek ghetto squad.

— ars staff, Ars Technica, "June 29, 2007: Waiting at the San Francisco and Cincinnati Apple Stores on iDay," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ghetto.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The etymology of Italian ghetto was formerly the subject of much speculation, but today there is little doubt that the word comes from the Italian dialect form ghèto, meaning “foundry.” A foundry for cannons was once located on an island that forms part of Venice, where in 1516 the Venetians restricted Jewish residence. The word ghèto became the name for the area and was borrowed into standard Italian as ghetto, with the meaning of “section of a city where Jews are forced to live.” From there it passed into most other European languages. Since the late 19th century, the meaning of ghetto has been extended to crowded urban districts where other ethnic or racial groups have been confined by poverty or prejudice.

Origin and Etymology of ghetto

Italian, from Venetian dialect ghèto island where Jews were forced to live, literally, foundry (located on the island), from ghetàr to cast, from Latin jactare to throw — more at jet

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1611

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