urbane
[ ur-beyn ]
/ ɜrˈbeɪn /
adjective
having the polish and suavity regarded as characteristic of sophisticated social life in major cities: an urbane manner.
reflecting elegance, sophistication, etc., especially in expression: He maintained an urbane tone in his letters.
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Nearby words
urban vii, urban viii, urban wind, urbana, urbandale, urbane, urbanely, urbanisation, urbanism, urbanist, urbanistic
Origin of urbane
Related formsur·bane·ly, adverbur·bane·ness, nounun·ur·bane, adjectiveun·ur·bane·ly, adverb
Can be confusedurban urbane
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for urbane
British Dictionary definitions for urbane
urbane
/ (ɜːˈbeɪn) /
adjective
characterized by elegance or sophistication
Derived Formsurbanely, adverburbaneness, noun
Word Origin for urbane
C16: from Latin urbānus belonging to the town; see urban
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for urbane
urbane
1530s, "of or relating to cities or towns," from Middle French urbain (14c.), from Latin urbanus "belonging to a city," also "citified, elegant" (see urban). The meaning "having the manners of townspeople, courteous, refined" is first attested 1620s. Urbanity in this sense is recorded from 1530s. For sense connection, cf. human/humane.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper