deurbanize: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2 (Very Low Frequency)Formal, Academic, Technical (Urban Planning, Sociology, Geography)
Quick answer
What does “deurbanize” mean?
To cause a population or area to leave a city or urban environment.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To cause a population or area to leave a city or urban environment; to reduce the urban character of.
The process of reversing urbanization, often through policy, economic shifts, or disaster, leading to population dispersal from cities to rural or suburban areas.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. Spelling: British English may occasionally use 'deurbanise', but 'deurbanize' is dominant in both. The related noun 'deurbanisation' is more common in UK academic texts.
Connotations
In both, it can carry neutral (planned decentralisation) or negative (urban decay, failure) connotations depending on context.
Frequency
Extremely rare in everyday language in both varieties. Slightly higher frequency in American academic writing due to historical discussions of 'white flight' and suburbanisation.
Grammar
How to Use “deurbanize” in a Sentence
[Government/Policy] deurbanizes [area/population].[Area] is deurbanizing.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “deurbanize” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The post-war planning committee sought to deurbanise London through the creation of New Towns.
- Some historians argue that the Industrial Revolution began to deurbanise certain craft-based communities.
American English
- The federal policy inadvertently helped deurbanize major manufacturing centers.
- If remote work becomes permanent, it could deurbanize our tech hubs.
adverb
British English
- [No standard adverbial form in use]
American English
- [No standard adverbial form in use]
adjective
British English
- The deurbanising trend was evident in the census data.
- [Note: 'deurbanizing' as adjective is rare]
American English
- They studied the deurbanizing effects of the highway system.
- [Note: 'deurbanizing' as adjective is rare]
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare. Might appear in reports on market shifts: 'Consumer trends are deurbanizing, with growth in rural retail.'
Academic
Primary context. Used in urban studies, geography, history: 'The plague served to deurbanize medieval Europe.'
Everyday
Virtually never used. One might say 'move out of the city' or 'the city is emptying out.'
Technical
Key term in urban planning and sociology: 'The masterplan aims to deurbanize the congested capital region.'
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “deurbanize”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “deurbanize”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “deurbanize”
- Using it to mean 'to make a city less modern' (that's 'decline' or 'deteriorate').
- Confusing it with 'suburbanize' (which is movement to suburbs, not necessarily rural areas).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is a very low-frequency, specialist term used primarily in academic fields like urban studies, geography, and sociology.
'Deurbanize' means to move population from an urban to a rural (or less urban) setting. 'Suburbanize' specifically means to move from a city centre to its surrounding suburbs, which are still a type of urbanised area.
It is highly unusual. The verb typically describes processes affecting populations, cities, or regions. For an individual, you would say 'move out of the city' or 'relocate to the country'.
The direct and most common antonym is 'urbanize', meaning to make more urban or to cause to move to cities.
To cause a population or area to leave a city or urban environment.
Deurbanize is usually formal, academic, technical (urban planning, sociology, geography) in register.
Deurbanize: in British English it is pronounced /diːˈɜːb(ə)nʌɪz/, and in American English it is pronounced /diˈɜrbəˌnaɪz/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “[None specific to this word]”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: DE- (reverse) + URBAN (city) + -IZE (make into) = to reverse the process of making into a city.
Conceptual Metaphor
URBANIZATION IS A FLOW TOWARDS A CENTRE; DEURBANIZATION IS A FLOW AWAY/DISPERSAL.
Practice
Quiz
In an academic paper on urban planning, 'deurbanize' is most closely related to which concept?