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
Lulu Garcia-NavarroOpposition is also stoked by fear of gentrification—displacement of longtime residents through higher rents or property taxes.—Steven Litt
Steven LittThe 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
Heidi Romanish and David SnyderIn 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
Alexandra ArriagaExamples of gentrification in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bad Bunny's whole album is talking about gentrification in Puerto Rico, his grandmother being forced to sell her house, a tribute to the older artists, with the south side mixing it in with the reggaeton.
—Fat Joe, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Dec. 2025
Still, the conversation about gentrification seems to be the most active in the borough of Cuauhtémoc, which includes Condesa, Roma Norte, and Juárez.
—Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025
Each of the women, Gage said, are important to preserving West Perrine’s history at a time when the community is experiencing rapid gentrification and homeowners are moving away from the area of about 10,000 people.
—Miami Herald, 20 Dec. 2025
People mourned it, along with the condos rising on the East River, as a sign of gentrification — which almost feels quaint given what’s happened to the block in the decades since.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 18 Dec. 2025
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Fat Joe, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Dec. 2025
Still, the conversation about gentrification seems to be the most active in the borough of Cuauhtémoc, which includes Condesa, Roma Norte, and Juárez.
—Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 21 Dec. 2025
Each of the women, Gage said, are important to preserving West Perrine’s history at a time when the community is experiencing rapid gentrification and homeowners are moving away from the area of about 10,000 people.
—Miami Herald, 20 Dec. 2025
People mourned it, along with the condos rising on the East River, as a sign of gentrification — which almost feels quaint given what’s happened to the block in the decades since.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gentrification
Cite this Entry
“Gentrification.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gentrification. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
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