megalopolis

[ meg-uh-lop-uh-lis ]
See synonyms for megalopolis on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a very large city.

  2. an urban region, especially one consisting of several large cities and suburbs that adjoin each other.

Origin of megalopolis

1
First recorded in 1825–35; megalo- + polis

Words Nearby megalopolis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use megalopolis in a sentence

  • He then attired it in a purple robe, placed a garland upon its head, and sent it to the city of megalopolis.

  • He invaded the territory of megalopolis, carried off a large booty, and laid waste a large extent of country.

  • At last, as the others in wonder bade him tell them the cause of his grief, he said that megalopolis had been ruined by Kleomenes.

  • This Akrotatus was defeated and slain near the city of megalopolis by the despot Aristodemus, leaving his wife pregnant.

British Dictionary definitions for megalopolis

megalopolis

/ (ˌmɛɡəˈlɒpəlɪs) /


noun
  1. an urban complex, usually comprising several large towns

Origin of megalopolis

1
C20: megalo- + Greek polis city

Derived forms of megalopolis

  • megalopolitan (ˌmɛɡələˈpɒlɪtən), adjective, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for megalopolis

megalopolis

[ (meg-uh-lop-uh-lis) ]


A vast stretch of developed industrial urban area, such as the East Coast of the United States from Boston to Washington, D.C., or the Ruhr Valley in Germany. Megalopolis is from Greek words meaning “great city.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.