Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Refinement and elegance of manner; polished courtesy.
- n. Courtesies; civilities.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The character of being urbane; that civility or courtesy of manners which is acquired by associating with well-bred people; politeness; suavity; courtesy.
- n. A polished humor or facetiousness.
- n. Synonyms Complaisance, amenity. See polite.
Wiktionary
- n. Behaviour that is polished, refined, courteous.
- n. in the plural Courtesies.
- n. What is characteristically urban in an area; urbanness.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The quality or state of being urbane; civility or courtesy of manners; politeness; refinement.
- n. obsolete Polite wit; facetiousness.
WordNet 3.0
- n. polished courtesy; elegance of manner
- n. the quality or character of life in a city or town
Etymologies
- urban + -ity (later than “courtesy” sense). (Wiktionary)
Examples
“His cool urbanity is perhaps the only constant among performances that include cynical secret agents, gregarious playboys, rugged adventurers, refined gentlemen, humble schoolteachers, and psychotic killers.”
“What we call urbanity is tolerance of other opinions; what we call reasonableness is the willingness to change opinions if convinced.”
“Urbanus is said of urbanity, that is courtesy, or it is said of ur, that is to say fire or light and banal, that is to say response or answer.”
“Mr. Longfellow met us at the door, with that urbanity which is so agreeable a feature in his character, and, on being shown into a very handsome library, we were introduced to Mrs. Longfellow, a lady of dignified appearance and graceful manner.”
“I've been wondering, though, whether "urbanity" is the right word for what we're thinking.”
“Those of his first three years of hard and careful work show him throughout in high spirits, and, doubtless, during this time, that reputation for hospitality and urbanity which is mentioned in his obituary notice was well deserved.”
“Orleans, despatched their billets by the forlornly precarious post only when they could not send them by the "urbanity" of such or such a one!”
“Mr. Longfellow met us at the door, with that urbanity which is so agreeable a feature in his character, and, on being shown into a very handsome library, we were introduced to Mr.. Longfellow, a lady of dignified appearance and graceful manner.”
“There was in this young lord, together with a goodly person, a kind of urbanity and innate courtesy, which both won the Queen, and too much took up the people to gaze on the new-adopted son of her favour; and as I go along, it will not be amiss to take into observation two notable quotations; the first was a violent indulgence of the Queen”
“The prominent Queen's Counsel, in welcoming Justice Kirby to the bench, commented on the new judge's "urbanity".”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘urbanity’.
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Words related to knowledge
Words that relate to learning, knowing, being enlightened...
revelation, eureka, awakening, idea, sapient, astute, canny, intelligent, wise, sharp, shrewd, informed and 467 more...
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Test-words
rarefy, occlude, bolt, lambaste, career, careen, largesse, enormity, neologism, quizzical, sibyl, euphony and 105 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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Rice Finds
patois, shaitan, luculent, lorgnette, urbanity, palaver, maven, kith, donjon, glissade, dragoon, trilby and 9 more...
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asvab
recalcitrant, lethargy, assuage, vacillate, desecrate, panacea, rejoinder, clandestine, poseur, insipid, foment, propriety and 26 more...
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Ironicle's Words
eloquent, october, radiator, binoculars, urbanity, vague, methereological, opium, elated, certificate, dialogue, life and 17 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for urbanity.
sera "there is an important difference between rusticity and urbanity" Aug 16, 2007