metropolis

American  

[mi-trop-uh-lis] / mɪˈtrɒp ə lɪs /

noun

plural

metropolises

1. any large, busy city.

2. the chief, and sometimes capital, city of a country, state, or region.

3. a central or principal place, as of some activity.

   the music metropolis of France.

4. the mother city or parent state of a colony, especially of an ancient Greek colony.

5. the chief see of an ecclesiastical province.

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metropolis British  

/ mɪˈtrɒpəlɪs /

noun

1. the main city, esp of a country or region; capital

2. a centre of activity

3. the chief see in an ecclesiastical province

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Etymology

Origin of metropolis

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin mētropolis < Greek mētrópolis a mother state or city, equivalent to mētro-, combining form of mḗtēr mother ¹ + pólis -polis, polis

Explanation

A large, densely populated urban area is called a metropolis. "She liked living in a metropolis because there were many opportunities in a city that were not available elsewhere, like 24-hour diners." The noun metropolis comes from the Greek roots mētēr, meaning "mother," and pólis, meaning "city." Historically, the word referred to the founding city-state of a region in Ancient Greece. Today the word refers to any urban area. The largest metropolis in Massachusetts is Boston, which is also the capital. Sometimes people use the word metropolis ironically or sarcastically: "She came from the booming metropolis of Tumbleweed, population 325."

Example Sentences

The government has invested heavily in recent years in the "Northern Metropolis", a vision for developing rural land bordering mainland China into a cutting-edge tech and innovation hub.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

Venture funds invested $500 million in Metropolis, which hopes to roll up and automate urban parking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

Worries about AI stretch back nearly a hundred years to the film Metropolis, in which a robot impersonates a real woman.

From BBC • May 25, 2025

This film in some ways hearkens visually back to some classic horror films, to "Frankenstein," to "Metropolis."

From Salon • Dec. 12, 2023

He had made no arrangements for his stay in the Metropolis, but he felt sure that the manager of the hotel where he had previously made his home would find him temporary accommodation.

From The Everlasting Arms by Hocking, Joseph

Related Words

• capital
• downtown
• municipality