Deburbanized

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Definitions

1. The act of removing urban characteristics or influences from an area or community
2. a transformation process that reverts a previously urbanized space to a less urban state
3. the process of diminishing city-like attributes in favor of a more rural or suburban environment

Etymology: The prefix "de-" comes from Latin, where it meant "down" or "away from," and in English it reverses or removes what follows. Attached to "urbanize," it describes the undoing of urbanization: a place losing its dense, city-like character as it turns more rural or suburban. The base is "urban," from Latin "urbanus," meaning "of the city," itself from "urbs," "city." The ending "-ed" marks the participle or adjective form. The Latin root also gave English "urbane," which at first meant simply "belonging to the city." Over time, city life came to suggest polish and refinement, and "urbane" shifted to describe smooth, sophisticated manners. So a word about stripping away urban qualities sits next to one that turned urban origins into a compliment.

Synonyms: decentralized, ruralized, de-urbanized, depopulated, suburbanized

Antonyms: urbanized, centralized, metropolitanized, densified, developed