suburban

C1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /səˈbɜː(ɹ)bən/ See IPA manual

Freq #14321

Meanings

1

adj
Relating to or located in the residential areas on the edge of a city.

They moved from the city centre to a quiet suburban neighbourhood.
2

noun
A person who lives in the suburbs.

Many suburbans commute into the city every morning for work.

Thesaurus

Opposites

nonsuburban

Word family

Related forms environs periphery suburb

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

suburban area
a residential district around the outer part of a city

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Suburban appeared in the late 16th century with the literal meaning “relating to a suburb”; suburb was a late Middle English word meaning “outside the city.” A disparaging sense of suburban appeared in 1789.

Etymology

From Latin suburbanus, from prefix sub- (“under”) + urbs (“city”) + -anus (“adjective suffix”), equivalent to sub- + urban.

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# suburban

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /səˈbɜː(ɹ)bən/
**Frequency rank:** 14321

## Meanings
1. Relating to or located in the residential areas on the edge of a city.
2. A person who lives in the suburbs.

## Examples
- They moved from the city centre to a quiet suburban neighbourhood.
- Many suburbans commute into the city every morning for work.

## Antonyms
- nonsuburban

## Related Forms
- environs
- periphery
- suburb

## Etymology
From Latin suburbanus, from prefix sub- (“under”) + urbs (“city”) + -anus (“adjective suffix”), equivalent to sub- + urban.

## AI Etymology
Suburban is from Latin suburbanus, from prefix sub- (“under”) + urbs (“city”) + -anus (“adjective suffix”), equivalent to sub- + urban. In present-day use, it can mean relating to or located in the residential areas on the edge of a city, or a person who lives in the suburbs. Related vocabulary includes environs, periphery, and suburb.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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