vicinity

vicinity — noun

1. the area that is near a particular place, person, or thing

1.nounB1
Definition

the area that is near a particular place, person, or thing

Example

There are several hotels in the vicinity of the international airport.

in the vicinity of + place

The police searched the entire vicinity but found no witnesses.

searched the vicinity (verb + vicinity)

Common collocations
  • in the vicinity
  • in the vicinity of
  • immediate vicinity
  • close vicinity
  • general vicinity
Synonyms
  • neighborhood

    More specific to a residential area where people live; friendlier and less formal than 'vicinity'

  • surroundings

    Broader — refers to everything around a person or place, not just what is close; often used with a possessive (e.g., 'her surroundings')

  • area

    More general and neutral; does not necessarily imply closeness to a specific reference point

  • locality

    More formal; often used in official or administrative contexts (e.g., 'residents of the locality')

Antonyms
  • distance

    The state of being far away rather than close by

  • remote area

    A place that is far from towns or other populated places

Grammar Patterns

in the vicinity (of something)

in the immediate / close vicinity

Usage Note

Always used with a determiner (usually 'the'): write 'in the vicinity', not 'in vicinity'. Frequently appears in the fixed phrase 'in the vicinity of', which can also mean 'approximately' when talking about numbers or amounts (e.g., 'costs in the vicinity of $2,000').

Common Mistakes

There is a good school in vicinity of the station.
There is a good school in the vicinity of the station.
'Vicinity' always needs a determiner (usually 'the').
The nearest shops are in the vicinities.
The nearest shops are in the vicinity.
'Vicinity' is uncountable and almost always stays singular.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all describe a location, but they differ in scope and formality. 'Vicinity' focuses on closeness to a specific reference point — 'the vicinity of the school' means the area right around the school. 'Neighborhood' is narrower and more social: it refers to a residential district where people live and know each other. 'Surroundings' is broader and more personal — it means everything you see around you at a given moment, not necessarily anchored to a particular landmark. 'Area' is the most general and neutral term, useful when you do not need to specify how close something is. 'Locality' is the most formal of the four and is often used in official writing, such as government notices or property descriptions. For everyday conversation, 'area' and 'neighborhood' are the most natural choices; 'vicinity' adds a slight formal tone, while 'locality' sounds bureaucratic.

neighborhood ↗surroundingsarea ↗locality

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in the vicinity
  • in the vicinity of
  • in close vicinity
  • in the general vicinity

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinAnglo-Norman FrenchEnglish

Vicinity comes from Latin 'vicinitas', meaning 'neighborhood' or 'nearness', which was formed from 'vicinus' ('neighbor'). 'Vicinus' itself goes back to 'vicus', a word for a village or a group of houses in ancient Rome. The word entered English through Anglo-Norman French in the 1500s and has kept its core meaning of 'nearby area' ever since.