cosmopolitan

American  

[koz-muh-pol-i-tn] / ˌkɒz məˈpɒl ɪ 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.

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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 British  

/ ˌkɒzməˈpɒlɪtən /

noun

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

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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

Other Word Forms

• cosmopolitanism noun
• cosmopolitanly adverb
• noncosmopolitan adjective
• uncosmopolitan adjective

Etymology

Origin of cosmopolitan

First recorded in 1835–45; cosmopolite + -an

Example Sentences

This was particularly true of Berlin, a cosmopolitan city full of people who found the Nazis culturally distasteful.

From The Wall Street Journal

For years, the Gulf marketed itself as an island of calm—a highly reliable, cosmopolitan sanctuary insulated from the Middle East’s chronic geopolitical volatility.

From The Wall Street Journal

It’s the fastest-growing, has the most attractive demographics, skews younger, is the most cosmopolitan, blah, blah, blah.

From Los Angeles Times

That ambition is a concern to Persian Gulf states whose cosmopolitan cities and key oil infrastructure sit just across the water from Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal

Their cosmopolitan life of séances, parties, and champagne toasts went on as usual.

From Literature

Related Words

• cultured
• metropolitan
• sophisticated
• urbane
• worldly