''cosmopolitan'' ▫ᴱᴺ Entries

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''cosmopolitan'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260125204041-00-⌔

cosmopolitan - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Adjective

cosmopolitan (comparative more cosmopolitan, superlative most cosmopolitan)

• Inclusive; affecting the whole world.
• (of a place or institution) Composed of people from all over the world.
• (of a person) At ease in any part of the world; having a wide experience with many cultures.
  • ✤ The philosophy of cosmopolitanism underlies theories of global citizenship. Cosmopolitanism is the ability to balance a local and global identity. A cosmopolitan individual engages meaningfully with different cultures and feels at home in the world.¹
• (biology, ecology) Growing or living in many parts of the world; widely distributed.
  • ✤ Domestication and the evolution of anthrophilic traits in houseflies and some drosophilids have allowed certain species to attain cosmopolitan status.²

Noun

🖼️ ➺

cosmopolitan (plural cosmopolitans)

• A cosmopolitan person; a cosmopolite.
  • ✤ ‘She is extremely rich. A cosmopolitan.’³
• A cocktail containing vodka, triple sec, lime juice and cranberry juice.
  • ✤ Synonym: (clipping) cosmo
• (Canada, US, dated) A butterfly of species Vanessa cardui.
  • ✤ Synonyms: cosmopolite, painted lady
• A moth of species Leucania loreyi.

Etymology

From cosmopolit(e) +‎ -an. Compare metropolitan and megalopolitan.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˌkɒz.məˈpɒl.ɪ.tən/
• (US) IPA: /ˌkɑz.məˈpɑl.ɪ.tən/
• Audio (US): 🔊
• Audio (Australian): 🔊

Printed 2026-06-28.

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Footnotes

1. 2013 November 25, Caroline Ferguson, “What kind of global citizens are teachers creating?”, in The Guardian ‎${}^{[1]}$: ↩

2. 2005, David K. Yeates, Brian M. Wiegmann, The Evolutionary Biology of Flies, page 372: ↩

3. 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 3, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 25: ↩

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