asphalt jungle

noun

Definition of asphalt junglenext
as in city
a thickly settled, highly populated area a realistic novel about life in the asphalt jungle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of asphalt jungle But there’s nothing stopping the surfer from hanging out in the parking lot up the cliff, an asphalt jungle with its own territorial, dog-eat-dog ecosystem. — Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 May 2024 But Honk does understand concrete’s importance in the asphalt jungle. — Jim Radcliffe, Orange County Register, 3 May 2024 Explore our new section Ramirez was entranced by this fleeting glimpse of adaptation by tropical species in one of the world’s greatest asphalt jungles. — Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asphalt jungle
  1. city
  2. town
  3. metropolis
Noun
  • President Emmanuel Macron has been the primary target of scorn following nationwide riots that overtook Paris and other cities, but the insurgent National Rally does not want to let mainstream conservatives off the hook.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Prosecutors allege Ulrich helped Mazzio's daughter obtain a higher-paying city job and also attempted to assist Mazzio, who operates a Brooklyn towing company, with licensing issues.
    — Alice Gainer, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of city
Noun
  • On March 21, 1937, a crowd of hundreds gathered in the southern Puerto Rican town of Ponce on Palm Sunday afternoon, preparing to march.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Long marches across the country also enabled the students to voice their cause in smaller towns and villages, where people were unaware of the protestors’ aims because of the state’s stranglehold on the media.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of town
Noun
  • The cutting-edge building details the city’s evolution from a humble fishing village to a bustling metropolis with over 18 million residents.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Imagine a perfect replica of a sprawling metropolis, a Tokyo or a São Paulo, engraved at atomic dimensions on a tile the size of a fingernail.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of metropolis

Browse Nearby Words

aspersions
asphalt jungle
asphalt jungles
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Asphalt jungle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asphalt%20jungle. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All