cosmopolitan

[ koz-muh-pol-i-tn ]

adjective

1. free from local, provincial, or national ideas, prejudices, or attachments; at home all over the world.

   Synonyms: worldly, urbane, sophisticated

   Antonyms: parochial, provincial

2. of or characteristic of a cosmopolite.
3. belonging to all the world; not limited to just one part of the world.
4. Botany, Zoology. widely distributed over the globe.

noun

1. a person who is free from local, provincial, or national bias or attachment; citizen of the world; cosmopolite.
2. a cocktail made with vodka, cranberry juice, an orange-flavored liqueur, and lime juice.

cosmopolitan

/ ˌkɒzməˈpɒlɪtən /

noun

1. a person who has lived and travelled in many countries, esp one who is free of national prejudices

adjective

1. having interest in or familiar with many parts of the world
2. sophisticated or urbane
3. composed of people or elements from all parts of the world or from many different spheres
4. (of plants or animals) widely distributed

Derived Forms

• ˌcosmoˈpolitanism, noun

Other Words From

• cos·mo·pol·i·tan·ism noun
• cos·mo·pol·i·tan·ly adverb
• non·cos·mo·pol·i·tan adjective noun
• un·cos·mo·pol·i·tan adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cosmopolitan¹

First recorded in 1835–45; cosmopolite + -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of cosmopolitan¹

C17: from French, ultimately from Greek kosmopolitēs, from kosmo- cosmo- + politēs citizen

Example Sentences

“There’s a whole cosmopolitan mix of different nationalities now. We are all New Zealanders. I think we should work together and have equal rights.”

From BBC

“It is a good symbol for a cosmopolitan city that is home to lots of human transplants — from other parts of the U.S. and around the world.”

From Los Angeles Times

This replacement is allegedly enabled by weak or malicious cosmopolitan elites, often identified as Jewish.

From Salon

The Vatican also represented a cosmopolitan sensibility, as evidenced by the diversity of the cast in the film.

From Los Angeles Times

Soccer fans are, for the most part, liberal and cosmopolitan in the U.S., so Lalas’ conservatism has led him to be called a vile human, a fascist and a dumb far-right puppet.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cultured
• metropolitan
• sophisticated
• urbane
• worldly