efficiency apartment

IPA/ɪˈfɪʃnsi əpɑːtmənt/
IPA/ɪˈfɪʃnsi əpɑːrtmənt/

efficiency apartment — noun

1. a compact apartment, typical in the United States, where one room combines the l

1.noun
Definition

a compact apartment, typical in the United States, where one room combines the living, sleeping, and cooking areas, with a separate bathroom

Example

Ilan rented an efficiency apartment near the university for eight hundred dollars a month.

Beatriz turned her efficiency apartment into a warm, cosy home with soft lighting and plants.

Common collocations
  • rent an efficiency apartment
  • live in an efficiency apartment
  • move into an efficiency apartment
  • furnished efficiency apartment
  • small efficiency apartment
Synonyms
  • studio apartment

    slightly larger; often has a partial wall or alcove separating the sleeping area

  • bedsit

    British equivalent; usually a rented room with basic cooking facilities in a shared house

  • studio flat

    same as studio apartment; more common in British English

Usage Note

This term is mainly used in American English. In British English, the closest equivalent is 'bedsit' or 'studio flat'. An efficiency apartment is typically smaller than a studio apartment and has a more basic kitchen area.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

An efficiency apartment is the most compact of these options: one single room combines living, sleeping, and cooking, with only the bathroom separate. A studio apartment is similar but usually larger, sometimes with a partial wall or alcove marking off the sleeping area, and typically has a more complete kitchen with a full-sized stove and refrigerator. A bedsit (short for 'bed-sitting room') is the British equivalent, common in converted houses where tenants share a bathroom. Both 'studio apartment' and 'studio flat' refer to the same thing, though 'flat' is more common in British English.

studio apartmentbedsit ↗studio flat

Etymology

English

The term appeared in American English around 1930, combining 'efficiency' (referring to the space-saving, multi-purpose design) with 'apartment'. It reflects early 20th-century urban housing trends that made compact living spaces desirable for single workers and students.

First known use

1930

1930, in the meaning defined above