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urbane

[ ur-beyn ]
/ ɜrˈbeɪn /
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See synonyms for: urbane / urbanely on Thesaurus.com

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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Origin of urbane

1525–35; (<Middle French urbain) <Latin urbānus (see urban; for difference in stress and second syllable cf. human, humane)

OTHER WORDS FROM urbane

ur·bane·ly, adverbur·bane·ness, nounun·ur·bane, adjectiveun·ur·bane·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH urbane

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

How to use urbane in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for urbane

urbane
/ (ɜːˈbeɪn) /

adjective
characterized by elegance or sophistication

Derived forms of urbane

urbanely, 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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