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Glite Dictionary
central city

central city

4 3.3
The main busy area in the middle of a city where people work and meet
  • noun
translation icon : centro de la ciudad
  • The central city is where most of the region's cultural events and business activities take place.
  • central city and suburbs
  • central city campus
  • central city districts

I mean, Tikal is, is, I mean, it's, it's a, it's a central city to the story of, of the Maya.

Examples

  • Metropolitan populations include people living in central cities and those living in new development areas outside the urban core.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Massey and Denton (1993) point out that residential segregation in American central cities is more pronounced for African Americans.

    Academic text (2004)

  • The study was performed in both a central-city academic site and a suburban private practice setting.

    Academic text (2008)

  • There are no vast areas of railroad yards, steel mills, and warehouses in the central city.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Population growth from in-migration is combined with an ongoing exodus from the central city.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Indeed, negative image and perception consistently plague central city campuses.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The emerging mission and role of central city campuses continue to be misunderstood in their own communities.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Metropolitan areas as a whole (including central cities) today account for four-fifths of the nation's population.

    Academic text (2004)

  • We have constructed a pervasive duality that seems to pit the central city against the suburbs.

    Academic text (1998)

  • The new roadside allowed American travelers to extract themselves from the congestion and confusion of the central city.

    Academic text (1998)

Synonyms

downtown
vscentral city
  • US
930 1.0

The main part of a city with many offices, shops, and restaurants

is broader including cultural and noncommercial central functions
city center
vscentral city
  • US
18 1.1

The main area of a city with most shops and offices

is the same meaning but uses a different common expression
midtown
vscentral city
  • US
5 3.3

In the central part of a city near shops and offices

is more general and stresses overall importance not only commerce

Antonyms

suburb
286 2.7

An area just outside a city with many houses where people live

periphery
27 6.5

The outer edge of an area, group, or idea

How Central

city center
  • US
18 1.1
central city
4 3.3
neighborhood
  • US
∞ 1.8
suburb
286 2.7

Surface Forms

central city singular
central cities plural

Morphology

central + city

The meaning 'the main area in the centre of a city' follows directly from combining 'central' (in or near the middle) with 'city' (an urban area). This adjective + noun composition is a common, cross-linguistic pattern (e.g. 'ville centrale', 'ciudad central'), so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Central city comes from the image of the central part of a city, the busy heart where shops, offices and theaters are. So, it means the 'main' area in the center of a city where business and cultural life happen.