urbane
Americanadjective
-
having the polish and suavity regarded as characteristic of sophisticated social life in major cities.
an urbane manner.
- Synonyms:
- cosmopolitan, suave
-
reflecting elegance, sophistication, etc., especially in expression.
He maintained an urbane tone in his letters.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- unurbane adjective
- unurbanely adverb
- urbanely adverb
- urbaneness noun
Etymology
Origin of urbane
1525–35; (< Middle French urbain ) < Latin urbānus ( urban; for difference in stress and second syllable human, humane )
Explanation
Urbane people are sophisticated, polished, cultured, refined. Spend enough time in an urban setting–-going to concerts and museums, spending time in crowds––and you'll be urbane too. Both urbane and urban derive from the Latin urbanus, "city," but while urban has connotations of gritty living and crime, urbane assumes that everyone sees the city from the roof deck of their penthouse apartment, drinking champagne and exchanging bon mots with friends. Add a Cole Porter soundtrack and the image is complete.
Vocabulary lists containing urbane
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The vibe inside—serene, understated, urbane, embracing Zen-centric design principles and mass-class materials—hasn’t and doesn’t change much, from car to car.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
Off court he is urbane and thoughtful, and able to speak fluently in a number of languages.
From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026
Sir Andreas told the BBC in 2002 how he had been described as an "urbane liberal" by the Daily Mail for this controversial move "and I was so pleased with the 'urbane'."
From BBC • Dec. 1, 2025
Smart, witty and vulnerable, she can come across as a modern iteration of the urbane persona of Diane Keaton.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 24, 2025
He hated the chaplain venomously for being a chaplain and making a coarse blunder out of an observation that in any other circumstances, he knew, would have been considered witty and urbane.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
