English

Alternative forms

• NIMBY

Phrase

nimby

1. (chiefly US, Britain) Not in my backyard.

Noun

nimby ‎(plural nimbies or nimbys)

1. (usually pejorative) Someone who objects to the building of an undesirable structure in their neighborhood, especially in public policy debate.

   politically correct green (as in vegetation) nimbies (may object to nuclear power plants, polluting factories, etc.)

   socially conservative brown (as in shirts) nimbies (may object to the building of jails, prisons, housing for ex-convicts, drinking or adult entertainment establishments)

   fiscally conservative green (as in money) nimbies (may object to the building of anything which may decrease preexisting property values)

Adjective

nimby ‎(comparative nimbyer or nimbier or more nimby, superlative nimbyest or nimbiest or most nimby)

1. Not wanting to have to deal with unpleasant or distasteful things near them.

   Their vote against measures to help refugees has been perceived by the socially conscious margin of society as a typically nimby attitude.

   • 2010, Timothy J. Dunn, Blockading the Border and Human Rights, page 32:

     […] to be obvious exaggerations of the threats, but rather focused on critiquing the means employed—i.e., the various enforcement techniques that adversely affected innocent bystanders—and in a very nimby (not in my back yard) sort of way.

Derived terms

• nimbyism
• nimbyist

See also

• BANANA - acronym similar to NIMBY