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cosmopolitan

koz-muh-POL-ih-tun /ˌkɒzməˈpɒlɪtən/

adjectivenounC1GRESAT

literaryjournalistic

Familiar with and at ease in many different countries and cultures; containing people from many different countries.

Suggests a high level of sophistication and a 'citizen of the world' attitude.

The story behind the word. From the Greek 'kosmopolitēs'. The philosopher Diogenes the Cynic was the first to use it. When asked where he came from, he replied, 'I am a citizen of the world.'

Word relationships

worldly: Suggests experience and lack of naivety, but not necessarily international travel.
urbane: Focuses on being suave and sophisticated, usually in a city context.

provincial: Narrow-minded or unsophisticated; limited to the concerns of a small region.
insular: Ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one's own experience.

Commonly confused with

metropolitan: Metropolitan refers to a large city; cosmopolitan refers to the diverse, international character of that city.

Word family

cosmopolitanism (noun): The ideology that all human beings belong to a single community.

Collocations

cosmopolitan city
cosmopolitan outlook
cosmopolitan lifestyle

Example sentences

"He was a cosmopolitan, and he was at home in any city from Tokyo to Paris." Describing a person who has lived all over the world.
"The city's cosmopolitan atmosphere is reflected in its diverse restaurants and international festivals." Describing the atmosphere of a modern city.

Memory hook

Think of the 'Cosmos' (the whole universe) and a 'Polite' citizen. A citizen of the whole universe. A citizen of the world.

When not to use

Don't use to describe a place that is just 'crowded'; it must be 'diverse' and 'sophisticated'.

Fun facts

There is a famous cocktail called a 'Cosmopolitan', likely named to suggest the sophisticated, worldly person who would drink it.