urban

Definitions

urb (city, from Latin urbs) + -an (relating to) = 'of the city.' The most direct, transparent member of the family — and the one to keep apart from its lookalike urbane (refined). urban describes a place; urbane describes a person's manners.

Common Collocations

• 1.urban area城市地区
• 2.urban planning城市规划
• 3.urban development城市发展
• 4.urban sprawl城市无序扩张
• 5.urban population城市人口

Example Sentences

• 1.

  More than half the world's population now lives in urban areas.

• 2.

  The city is tackling urban congestion with new bike lanes.

• 3.

  Rents in urban centers have climbed sharply over the past decade.

Easily Confused

urban vs urbane — One letter apart, very different. urban = of the city (an urban neighborhood). urbane = polished and sophisticated (an urbane gentleman). You'd never call a road 'urbane' or a person's charm 'urban.'