Library / English Dictionary

SLUM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: slummed    , slumming   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A district of a city marked by poverty and inferior living conditions

Synonyms:

slum; slum area

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Hypernyms ("slum" is a kind of...):

city district (a district of a town or city)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "slum"):

shantytown (a city district inhabited by people living in huts and shanties)

skid row (a city district frequented by vagrants and alcoholics and addicts)

Derivation:

slum (spend time at a lower socio-economic level than one's own, motivated by curiosity or desire for adventure; usage considered condescending and insensitive)

slummy ((of housing or residential areas) indicative of poverty)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Spend time at a lower socio-economic level than one's own, motivated by curiosity or desire for adventure; usage considered condescending and insensitive

Example:

attending a motion picture show by the upper class was considered sluming in the early 20th century

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "slum" is one way to...):

pass; spend (use up a period of time in a specific way)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

slum (a district of a city marked by poverty and inferior living conditions)

Credits