ghetto

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Unseemly and indecorous or of low quality; cheap; shabby, crude.

Register: informal, slang

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

My apartment's so ghetto, the rats and cockroaches filed a complaint with the city!

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “ghetto” mean?

Unseemly and indecorous or of low quality; cheap; shabby, crude.

Is “ghetto” formal or informal?

ghetto is generally informal, slang.