concrete jungle
4
6.3
- noun
- /kənˈkriːt ˈdʒʌŋɡəl/
- Informal
:
jungla de concreto
- Living in a big city often feels like navigating a concrete jungle with its towering buildings and little nature.
When people, what people don't realize when they think about New York, all they think of is Manhattan and this concrete jungle.
- When people, what people don't realize when they think about New York, all they think of is Manhattan and this concrete jungle.
Examples
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It was a wonderful experience to appreciate nature again, after the entire year in a concrete jungle.
Blog text (8) -
But for some, they prefer to live just outside the concrete jungle where it's a lot more chill and spacious.
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New York concrete jungle where dreams are made.
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We survive the concrete jungle!
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We humans are still living in a concrete jungle.
Blog text (23) -
A world that is half a concrete jungle and half agricultural land.
Blog text (13) -
There appears the most splendid sight available in a concrete jungle: the new Living Wall.
Blog text (20) -
Growing up, I was bored there and was attracted by the excitement of the concrete jungle in the city.
Blog text (8) -
The streets had a wonderful mixture of buildings and were far more interesting to photograph than the concrete jungle of Cologne.
Academic text (2005) -
Buildings slope haphazardly in a concrete jungle littered with waste.
Academic text (2014)
Synonyms
41
2.7
A place with many people and buildings like a city
A busy, confusing city life that feels chaotic and overwhelming
Antonyms
How Urban
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines the literal meanings of 'concrete' (building material/city surfaces) and 'jungle' (a dense, wild environment) in a straightforward metaphor: a city that is dense, built of concrete, and like a jungle. This metaphorical mapping is common cross-linguistically (e.g., Spanish 'jungla de concreto') and a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the referent and negative connotations.
Etymology
The phrase concrete jungle comes from the idea of a city seen as a wild jungle made of concrete: tall buildings stand like trees and streets feel like narrow paths where life can be hard. That's why it means 'a city with many large buildings and little green space that can feel harsh or dangerous'.