Standard Lemma guide

urbanism

noun · 4 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈɜː(ɹ)bənɪzəm/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: ER1 B AH0 N IH0 Z AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The study of cities, their geographic, economic, political, social, and cultural environment.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The culture or way of life of people who live in cities.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: urbiculture

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Urbanization.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Urban planning.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English urban Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English urbanism From urban + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Estonian: urbanistika — study of cities
  • Finnish: kaupunkitutkimus — study of cities
  • French: urbanisme — study of cities
  • German: Urbanistik — study of cities
  • Italian: urbanistica — study of cities
  • Luxembourgish: Urbanismus — study of cities
  • Malay: urbanisme — study of cities
  • Polish: urbanistyka — study of cities
  • Romanian: urbanism — study of cities
  • Romanian: urbanistică — study of cities
  • Russian: урбани́зм (urbanízm) — study of cities
  • Russian: урбани́стика (urbanístika) — study of cities
  • Welsh: trefolaeth — study of cities
  • Crimean Tatar: urbanizm — culture of people who live in cities
  • Estonian: urbanism — culture of people who live in cities
  • Finnish: kaupunkikulttuuri — culture of people who live in cities
  • Finnish: kaupunkilaiskulttuuri — culture of people who live in cities
  • German: Stadtleben — culture of people who live in cities
  • Irish: uirbeachas — culture of people who live in cities
  • Malay: urbanisme — culture of people who live in cities
  • Polish: urbanizm — culture of people who live in cities
  • Welsh: trefolrwydd — culture of people who live in cities