cosmopolitan
/ˌkɒz.məˈpɒl.ɪ.tən/
cosmopolitan means inclusive; affecting the whole world.
cosmopolitan is pronounced /ˌkɒz.məˈpɒl.ɪ.tən/.
Why “cosmopolitan” is a great word
Belonging to all the world; not limited to one part of the political or social sphere, or composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world. From cosmopolite (from Greek kosmopolitēs, from kosmos "world, universe" + politēs "citizen") + the English suffix -an. The term 'cosmopolite' for 'citizen of the world' is recorded from the 1610s. Unlike "provincial," which implies a narrow outlook limited to one's own locality, or "insular," which suggests an isolated detachment, cosmopolitan is the deliberate embrace of multiplicity. It is the polyglot murmur in a grand hotel lobby, the curated fusion of a global menu, and the easy, unspoken understanding in a crowd where no single accent dominates. It is the quiet conviction that one's true country is the sum of all human exchange, the world not as a map of borders, but as a single, breathing room.
Etymology
From cosmopolit(e) + -an. Compare metropolitan and megalopolitan.
adj
- Inclusive; affecting the whole world.
- Composed of people from all over the world.
- At ease in any part of the world; having a wide experience with many cultures.
- Growing or living in many parts of the world; widely distributed.e.g.“Domestication and the evolution of anthrophilic traits in houseflies and some drosophilids have allowed certain species to attain cosmopolitan status.” — 2005, David K. Yeates, Brian M. Wiegmann, The Evolutionary Biology of Flies, page 372:
noun
- A cosmopolitan person; a cosmopolite.e.g.“'She is extremely rich. A cosmopolitan.'” — 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 3, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 25:
- A cocktail containing vodka, triple sec, lime juice and cranberry juice.
- A butterfly of species Vanessa cardui.
- A moth of species Leucania loreyi.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.