VocabauraVOCABAURA

cosmopolitan

adjective · noun

Simple meaning

Composed of people from or at home in many parts of the world.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kahzmuhpahluhtuhn

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

kɑzməˈpɑlətən

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

  1. Composed of people from or at home in many parts of the world; especially not provincial in attitudes or interests

    “His cosmopolitan benevolence impartially extended to all races and to all creeds"- T.B. Macaulay.”

  2. of a place or institution

    Composed of people from all over the world.

  3. of a person

    At ease in any part of the world; having a wide experience with many cultures.

  4. Inclusive; affecting the whole world.

noun

  1. A moth of species Leucania loreyi.

  2. A sophisticated person who has travelled in many countries

  3. A cocktail containing vodka, triple sec, lime juice and cranberry juice.

  4. A cosmopolitan person; a cosmopolite.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Composed of people from or at home in many parts of the world; especially not provincial in attitudes or interests

Used this way, cosmopolitan is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Heard in a sentence
“His cosmopolitan benevolence impartially extended to all races and to all creeds"- T.B. Macaulay.”
Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use cosmopolitan

  • “His cosmopolitan benevolence impartially extended to all races and to all creeds"- T.B. Macaulay.”adjective
  • “A cosmopolitan herb.”adjective

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “cosmopolitan”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Composed / ease

cosmopolitan culturecosmopolitan society

Other combinations

cosmopolitan citycosmopolitan charactercosmopolitan magazinecosmopolitan worldcosmopolitan clubcosmopolitan species

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: moth of species Leucania loreyi

cosmopoliteDated

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “cosmopolitan” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.