urbanization

noun

ur·​ban·​i·​za·​tion ˌər-bə-nə-ˈzā-shən 

: the quality or state of being urbanized or the process of becoming urbanized

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The word urbanization started appearing in print way back in the 1880s, which says something about the growth of American cities. The expansion of Los Angeles was an early example of uncontrolled urbanization. Urbanization is often seen as a negative trend, with bad effects on quality of life and the environment. But apartments require much less heat than houses, and commuting by mass transit rather than cars can reduce pollution and energy use, and cities offer improved opportunities for jobs (and often for education and housing as well), so city growth doesn't make everyone unhappy.

Examples of urbanization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There's some blatant misinformation, like claims that urbanization could be distorting the warming, which has already been tested extensively. —ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2025

The factors that in hindsight might explain the country’s abrupt upheaval—its swift economic growth followed by a downturn, its rapid urbanization, its authoritarianism, its corruption—were fairly normal. —Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025

Measuring What Matters: Human Capital as a Source of Value The agricultural revolution spurred population growth, urbanization, and eventually, modern economies. —Solange Charas, Forbes.com, 26 July 2025

Its latest World Oil Outlook revised global oil demand forecasts upward through 2050, with growth driven by demographics, urbanization, and economic development, particularly in the Global South. —Amena Bakr, semafor.com, 18 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for urbanization

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration