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

Explanation

Your Aunt Eleanor, who's lived in six different countries and speaks four languages fluently, might be described as cosmopolitan, or comfortable and familiar with different cultures and people. People who are cosmopolitan have an air of glamour surrounding them, a sense that they've seen a lot of the world and are sophisticated and at ease with all different kinds of people. Places can also be described as cosmopolitan, meaning "diverse," or bustling with lots of people of varying nationalities. Any way you use it, cosmopolitan implies a sophistication, which might explain why both a well-known alcoholic cocktail and a famous women's magazine are both named after the word cosmopolitan.

Example Sentences

As Melfi recently wrote in Cosmopolitan magazine, the condition is shaped by “biology, timing and access to care.”

From Salon • Apr. 28, 2026

Lengthy appendices compare its versions of episodes such as the Battle of Omdurman and the Boer War with earlier accounts Churchill gave to newspapers and magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Strand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

“These days, Mack seems totally happy being the homebody dad hanging with his kids, 3-year-old Dakota and 2-year-old Carson,” the Cosmopolitan writer noted.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

Charlotte said in an interview with Cosmopolitan that she brought a black jumpsuit that she wore for the final, but did not plan any shoes to go with it.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026

It was such a hit with British readers that an American magazine, The Cosmopolitan, carried the serial, too.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

Related Words

• cultured
• metropolitan
• sophisticated
• urbane
• worldly