Megacity: Definition, Usage & Key Characteristics

Meaning 1：immensely large city (megacity)

megacity 🔊

/ˈmeɡəˌsɪti/

A very, very big city with more than ten million people living in it.

Megacity illustrated by a vast, dense cityscape with skyscrapers and glowing highway networks at dusk.

immensely large city 🔊

➕

/ɪˈmensli lɑːrdʒ ˈsɪti/

An urban settlement characterized by an extremely high population, typically over ten million people, and extensive infrastructure.

📁 Category：Buildings & Places 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Greek 'mega-' (large) and Latin '-city' (urban area).

💡 Mnemonic

Mega means huge, so a megacity is a super-sized city.

📖 Example

Living in a megacity like Mumbai means you're always surrounded by millions of people, towering skyscrapers, and non-stop activity. 🔊 Residing in a massively populated city such as Mumbai entails constant immersion in crowds, tall buildings, and continuous hustle.

🔗 Collocations

rapidly growing megacity – a megacity that is expanding quickly in population and size

megacity infrastructure – the foundational systems and facilities in a very large city

megacity challenges – problems faced by densely populated urban areas, such as traffic and pollution

🔄 Synonyms

metropolis (n.) – a large, densely populated urban area, often a major city

conurbation (n.) – an extended urban area formed by the merging of several cities or towns

megalopolis (n.) – a region consisting of several large cities and their surrounding areas

🚫 Antonyms

village (n.) – a small community in a rural area

hamlet (n.) – a very small settlement

rural area (n.) – regions outside of cities and towns, with low population density

🌱 Derivatives

megacities (n.) – the plural form of megacity, referring to multiple such large cities

📖 Cultural Story

The term gained prominence in the late 20th century to classify cities exceeding ten million residents, reflecting global urbanization trends.