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

In the 19th and 20th centuries, it helped the city become a bustling metropolis, home to sizable European diasporas and a distinct cosmopolitan culture.

From Barron's

Often described as India's first English-language feature, Annie occupies a singular place in the country's cinema history: local in texture yet cosmopolitan in voice; modest in scale yet exacting in its writing.

From BBC

It is a repudiation of cosmopolitan universalism in favor of historical continuity and particular identity.

From The Wall Street Journal

Now, next to South Africa's innovative and cosmopolitan set-up, it seems to be slowing them down.

From BBC

He began writing only after having had a varied cosmopolitan life, and in 2009, already in his 40s, published “In Other Rooms, Other Wonders,” a collection of loosely connected short stories.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cultured
• metropolitan
• sophisticated
• urbane
• worldly