The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word GHETTOS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
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More clues leading to the result GHETTOS
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "traditionally impoverished areas" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case traditionally impoverished areas = ghettos.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does GHETTOS mean?
GHETTOS noun- An (often walled) area of a city in which Jews are concentrated by force and law. (Used particularly of areas in medieval Italy and in Nazi-controlled Europe.)
- An (often impoverished) area of a city inhabited predominantly by members of a specific nationality, ethnicity or race.
- An area in which people who are distinguished by sharing something other than ethnicity concentrate or are concentrated.
- (sometimes derogatory) An isolated, self-contained, segregated subsection, area or field of interest; often of minority or specialist interest.