residential

residential — adjective

1. describes a street, district, or neighbourhood where most of the buildings are p

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a street, district, or neighbourhood where most of the buildings are private homes, with few shops, offices, or factories

Example

The street where Hari lives is a quiet residential area with no shops or offices.

collocation: residential area

Most of the houses in this residential neighbourhood were built in the 1990s.

collocation: residential neighbourhood

Common collocations
  • residential area
  • residential street
  • residential neighbourhood
  • residential district
  • residential zone
Synonyms
  • suburban

    refers specifically to areas on the edge of a city, while 'residential' can apply to any housing area

  • neighbourhood

    a noun, not an adjective; 'residential neighbourhood' combines both

Antonyms
  • commercial

    used for areas with shops, offices, and businesses

  • industrial

    used for areas with factories and warehouses

Grammar Patterns

residential + noun (area, street, district, neighbourhood)

be + residential

Usage Note

Used to contrast areas that are mainly for living with commercial or industrial districts. The phrase "residential area" is especially common in real-estate and urban-planning contexts.

Common Mistakes

This is a residential house' (when you mean a private home).
This is a private house in a residential area.
'residential' describes the neighbourhood, not the individual house.

2. describes a structure that is designed or used for people to live in as their ho

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a structure that is designed or used for people to live in as their home, as opposed to a workplace or commercial space

Example

The old factory was converted into residential apartments for young families.

collocation: residential apartments

A new residential tower is being built next to the river in Liam's town.

collocation: residential tower

Common collocations
  • residential building
  • residential property
  • residential apartment
  • residential unit
  • residential tower
  • residential purposes
Synonyms
  • domestic

    broader term, can also refer to household activities; 'residential' stays focused on where people live

  • housing

    a noun used attributively (e.g., 'housing project'), but less common as an adjective

Antonyms
  • commercial

    for buildings used as shops, offices, or businesses

  • industrial

    for buildings used for manufacturing or warehousing

Grammar Patterns

residential + noun (building, property, apartment, unit)

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 describes the area or street; sense 2 describes the building itself. A 'residential building' can exist in a commercial zone.

3. describes a job, position, course, or programme that requires participants to st

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a job, position, course, or programme that requires participants to stay overnight at the same location where the activity takes place

Example

Christopher attended a two-week residential course on business management at a hotel near the coast.

Selim got a residential job as a caretaker, so he lives right above the school.

collocation: residential job — employer provides accommodation

Common collocations
  • residential course
  • residential job
  • residential position
  • residential college
  • residential school
Synonyms
  • boarding

    used mainly for schools where students live ('boarding school' is more common than 'residential school')

  • live-in

    informal equivalent, e.g. 'live-in nanny'; more common for jobs than courses

Antonyms
  • day

    as in 'day course' or 'day student' — a course you attend without staying overnight

  • commuting

    describes a job or course where you travel from home each day

Grammar Patterns

residential + noun (course, job, position, college, school)

Usage Note

Frequently used in education (residential course, residential school, residential college) and employment (residential job, residential position). The key difference from senses 1 and 2 is that this sense involves living AND working/studying in the same place.

4. connected to the place where a person lives, especially when this information is

4.adjectiveB2
Definition

connected to the place where a person lives, especially when this information is used for official, legal, or administrative purposes

Example

Your residential address is needed when you register for the local library.

collocation: residential address

Sven changed his residential status after moving to a different country.

collocation: residential status

Common collocations
  • residential address
  • residential status
  • residential qualification
  • residential permit
  • residential history
Synonyms
  • domiciliary

    formal/legal term used mainly in official documents; much less common in everyday English

  • habitational

    very rare; used only in specialist contexts

Grammar Patterns

residential + noun (address, status, qualification, permit)

Usage Note

Common in official documents, forms, and legal contexts. Often paired with nouns like 'address', 'status', and 'permit'. In immigration contexts, 'residential status' can mean whether a person is a permanent resident, temporary resident, or citizen.

Common Mistakes

Please provide your resident address.
Please provide your residential address.
'resident' is a noun for a person; 'residential' is the adjective describing the address.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Residential, suburban, urban, and commercial all describe types of areas, but they focus on different features. 'Residential' refers strictly to areas where people live in private homes, as opposed to areas with shops, factories, or offices. 'Suburban' describes the residential areas on the edge of a city, often with larger houses and gardens — all suburban areas are residential, but not all residential areas are suburban (a downtown apartment block is residential but not suburban). 'Urban' refers to the characteristics of a city in general (dense, busy), and an area can be urban without being residential. 'Commercial' is the clearest opposite: it describes areas full of shops, offices, and businesses. For example: 'The survey compares house prices in residential and commercial zones.' 'They moved from a busy urban street to a quiet residential neighbourhood.'

residential ↗suburban ↗urban ↗commercial ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • residential and commercial
  • residential and industrial

Prepositions

  • in a residential area
  • in a residential neighbourhood
  • for residential purposes

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Residential comes from the Latin 'residentia', meaning 'a dwelling or place where one stays'. This was formed from 'residēre' ('to remain behind, to stay'), which combines 're-' (back, again) and 'sedēre' (to sit). The word entered English in the 15th century through Old French, and the suffix '-ial' was added later to form an adjective meaning 'relating to residence'. Over time, it developed from simply meaning 'relating to where someone lives' to covering specific categories like housing areas, live-in programmes, and official dwelling status.