noun

ghetto

GEH-toh

noun

A part of a city, historically often walled or enclosed, where a minority group — especially Jews — was forced to live.

"Thousands died in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Second World War."

A poor, run-down urban area associated with a particular ethnic or minority community.

"He grew up in a ghetto on the edge of the city."

adj

(informal, often considered offensive or slang) Cheap, low-quality, or associated with poor urban neighbourhoods.

"He called the makeshift repair job "pretty ghetto.""

How to Use Ghetto

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishHistorically, a segregated urban district forced on a minority group; more loosely today, a poor or run-down neighbourhood.

When to use it

Using "ghetto" as a casual adjective for anything cheap or low-quality can come across as disrespectful given the word's history — use with care.

Common pairings

Jewish ghetto inner-city ghetto

more ghetto comparative, ghettoed past tense, ghettos plural, ghettoes plural, ghetti plural, ghettoes singular, most ghetto superlative

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Can you complete this real example?

Thousands died in the Warsaw _____ during the Second World War.

From the name of the Venetian Ghetto, the segregated Jewish quarter of Venice; the word's exact origin is disputed.

falsetto stiletto Geppetto