cosmopolitan
Americanadjective
-
free from local, provincial, or national ideas, prejudices, or attachments; at home all over the world.
- Synonyms:
- worldly, urbane, sophisticated
- Antonyms:
- parochial, provincial
-
of or characteristic of a cosmopolite.
-
belonging to all the world; not limited to just one part of the world.
-
Botany, Zoology. widely distributed over the globe.
noun
-
a person who is free from local, provincial, or national bias or attachment; citizen of the world; cosmopolite.
-
a cocktail made with vodka, cranberry juice, an orange-flavored liqueur, and lime juice.
noun
-
a person who has lived and travelled in many countries, esp one who is free of national prejudices
adjective
-
having interest in or familiar with many parts of the world
-
sophisticated or urbane
-
composed of people or elements from all parts of the world or from many different spheres
-
(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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s the fastest-growing, has the most attractive demographics, skews younger, is the most cosmopolitan, blah, blah, blah.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026
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 • Feb. 25, 2026
Its melodic guitar lines, horn sections, dance rhythms, and cosmopolitan identity deeply influenced Fela Kuti's early musical direction.
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026
On a recent day this winter, a cosmopolitan mix of convicts mingled in the camp’s exercise yards and worked out in the outdoor gym.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025
He was Lewis Ellsworth Akeley, an implausibly cosmopolitan figure on the rural campus.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.