cosmopolis

American  

[koz-mop-uh-lis] / kɒzˈmɒp ə lɪs /

noun

1. an internationally important city inhabited by many different peoples reflecting a great variety of cultures, attitudes, etc.

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cosmopolis British  

/ kɒzˈmɒpəlɪs /

noun

1. an international city

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Etymology

Origin of cosmopolis

1890–95; cosmo- + -polis, modeled on metropolis

Explanation

Any massive, bustling city with a globally diverse population might be described as a cosmopolis. New York City, with its millions of people, immense political and financial influence, and melting pot of cultures, is the quintessential modern cosmopolis. Cosmopolis stems from two Greek words: cosmos, meaning "world," and polis, meaning "city." Literally a "world-city," a cosmopolis is a place that feels like a universe unto itself. Because it's a hub of international influence, it acts a bit like a microcosm of the globe — a single city where people from almost every background, culture, and country intersect. The term cosmopolitan, "composed of or familiar with people from all over the world," is an adjective form of the same concept.

Example Sentences

Each had made the people of this doubly landlocked country — one of only two, the other being Liechtenstein — of 34 million part of a greater world, a cosmopolis, a comity of nations.

From New York Times • May 11, 2020

From the loathsome lusus naturae of behemoth horror series to the sprawling cosmopolis of complex management simulators, video games often feature wrenched contortions of the natural world as core tenets in environmental design.

From The Verge • Feb. 13, 2020

Mr Crosby has been flexible enough to run two winning campaigns for London mayor Boris Johnson, a pro-immigrant politician in the world’s ultimate cosmopolis.

From The Guardian • Nov. 20, 2012

Bearden is artist in chief of the modern cosmopolis, griot in residence of the global village.

From New York Times • Dec. 8, 2011

The first of his real compositions are like fragments of some cosmopolis of caves and towers of steel, of furious motion and shafts of nitrogen glare become music.

From Musical Portraits Interpretations of Twenty Modern Composers by Rosenfeld, Paul