gentrify

G2E1N1T1R1I1F4Y4
/ˈd͡ʒɛn.tɹɪ.faɪ/

verb

To renovate or improve something (especially housing or district), making it more appealing to the middle classes (now often with the negative association of pricing out existing residents).

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Meanings

verbgentrify (third-person singular simple present gentrifies, present participle gentrifying, simple past and past participle gentrified)

present singular third person gentrifies · participle present gentrifying · participle past gentrified · past gentrified

  1. transitiveTo renovate or improve something (especially housing or district), making it more appealing to the middle classes (now often with the negative association of pricing out existing residents).

    Club neighbor Joe Gegis told the board that he was concerned about the licenses due to the problem of drunk drivers and that he believed the bar would lower property values, which have been rising in the area as it becomes increasingly gentrified.

    1986 February 1, Kim Westheimer, “Board Hears Testimony on Saints' Liquor License”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 28, page 3
  2. To develop and invest in a penurious or impoverished place.

Origin

From gentry + -fy.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan gentrificar
  • gentrificarto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
Danish gentrificere
  • gentrificereto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
Dutch gerestaureerd, verbeterd
  • gerestaureerdto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
  • verbeterdto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
Finnish keskiluokkaistaa
  • keskiluokkaistaato renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
French embourgeoiser
  • embourgeoiserto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
German gentrifizieren
  • gentrifizierento renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
Hungarian dzsentrifikál
  • dzsentrifikálto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
Italian gentrificare
  • gentrificareto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
Norwegian Bokmål gentrifisere
  • gentrifisereto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
Polish gentryfikować, zgentryfikować
  • gentryfikowaćto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
  • zgentryfikowaćto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
Portuguese gentrificar
  • gentrificarto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
Spanish gentrificar, aburguesar
  • gentrificarto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
  • aburguesarto renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
Swedish gentrifiera
  • gentrifierato renovate something, especially housing to make more appealing to the middle classes
Cite this entry
APA

gentrify. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gentrify

MLA

“gentrify.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gentrify. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gentrify,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gentrify.

Source: gentrify on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.