urbane
Americanadjective
-
having the polish and suavity regarded as characteristic of sophisticated social life in major cities.
an urbane manner.
- Synonyms:
- cosmopolitan, suave
-
reflecting elegance, sophistication, etc., especially in expression.
He maintained an urbane tone in his letters.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of urbane
1525–35; (< Middle French urbain ) < Latin urbānus ( see urban; for difference in stress and second syllable cf. human, humane)
Explanation
Urbane people are sophisticated, polished, cultured, refined. Spend enough time in an urban setting–-going to concerts and museums, spending time in crowds––and you'll be urbane too. Both urbane and urban derive from the Latin urbanus, "city," but while urban has connotations of gritty living and crime, urbane assumes that everyone sees the city from the roof deck of their penthouse apartment, drinking champagne and exchanging bon mots with friends. Add a Cole Porter soundtrack and the image is complete.
Vocabulary lists containing urbane
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Introduced in 2020 and revised for the 2025 model-year, the GV80 is smartly attired, with an urbane flair very unlike the genre’s usual rustications.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
He encountered its flagship quarterly, City Journal, in high school, and it was “rigorous, urbane, and unafraid of heterodox conclusions,” unlike anything else he was reading.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Off court he is urbane and thoughtful, and able to speak fluently in a number of languages.
From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026
Sir Andreas told the BBC in 2002 how he had been described as an "urbane liberal" by the Daily Mail for this controversial move "and I was so pleased with the 'urbane'."
From BBC • Dec. 1, 2025
Bobby’s opponent that night was the urbane college professor Donald Byrne, an international master, former U.S.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
