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

Opposition is also stoked by fear of gentrification—displacement of longtime residents through higher rents or property taxes.

—Steven Litt

The 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

In 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

Examples of gentrification in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Burnett credited developers for reaching out to area residents in job fairs and trying to address gentrification concerns. —Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026

Still, some are worried about potential negative impacts of the construction boom, including the possibility that gentrification will push out full-time residents of North Beach, a largely working-class neighborhood. —Aaron Leibowitz may 8, Miami Herald, 8 May 2026

And for his final project, he executive produced, directed and co-wrote Surviving on LES (2021), about gentrification and the changing culture of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. —Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 8 May 2026

Hernandez campaigned as a foe of gentrification while pledging to combat homelessness and shift funding from law enforcement to unarmed crisis response teams and other services. —Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

gentry + -ification

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for gentrification

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