Standard Lemma guide

topophilia

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˌtɒpəˈfɪliə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A strong sense of place, often combined with a sense of cultural identity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • What I feel towards my grandmother's house could be described as topophilia.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Ancient Greek τόπος (tópos, “place”) + -philia. Coined by British-American poet W. H. Auden in 1947, used by French phenomenologist Gaston Bachelard (1958), and made popular by Chinese-American geographer Yi-Fu Tuan in his essay and book Topophilia (1961 and 1974).

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Greek: τοποφιλία (topofilía) — Translations
  • Italian: topofilia — Translations