slum

Pronunciation: /slʌm/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a district of a city marked by poverty and inferior living conditions
  2. verb spend time at a lower socio-economic level than one's own, motivated by curiosity or desire for adventure; usage considered condescending and insensitive

Etymology

First attested in 1812. Originally slang, in the sense "room", especially "backroom", of unknown origin.

In classic literature

Synonyms

slum area

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
city district
Narrower (hyponyms)
skid row, shantytown

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading

Nice save! Solidify it with review →