suburbia

noun

sub·​ur·​bia sə-ˈbər-bē-ə 

1

: the suburbs of a city

2

: people who live in the suburbs

3

: suburban life

Synonyms of suburbia

• outskirts

Examples of suburbia in a Sentence

a problem that is common in suburbia

the percentage of the country's population living in suburbia

The film is an interesting critique of suburbia.

Recent Examples on the Web

Mitchell’s own imitation of Spielbergian life, despite its meticulous re-creation (and gleeful destruction) of eighties suburbia, stumbles into an uncanny valley between sincerity and cynicism, between unintentional comedy and deliberate homage. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

As malls and suburbia leeched retailers from downtown, the Metropolitan went dark in 1979. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 July 2026

But the stores easily adapted to the car and post-war suburbia. — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth Eighty-one-year-old Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick lives quietly in suburbia until a neighbor's suspicious death draws attention to her and the decades-old secret she's tried to bury. — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 19 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from English suburb

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

suburbia

noun

sub·​ur·​bia sə-ˈbər-bē-ə 

: the suburbs of a city