Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A cosmopolitan person.
- noun Ecology An organism found in most parts of the world.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A nymphalid butterfly, Vanessa cardui, common to Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia.
- noun A citizen of the world; one who is cosmopolitan in his ideas or life.
- noun An animal or a plant existing in many or most parts of the world, or having a wide range of existence or migration.
- Universal; world-wide; cosmopolitan.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- See
cosmopolitan .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun One who is at home in every place; a citizen of the world; a
cosmopolitan person. - noun US A
painted lady (abutterfly of a certain species). - adjective obsolete
cosmopolitan
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a sophisticated person who has travelled in many countries
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Generalization 5-14, however, refers to cosmopolite channel usage, rather than to cosmopolite behavior in general.
Diffusion of Innovations Everett M. Rogers 1995
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"Cosmopolitanism is nonsense; the cosmopolite is a cipher, worse than a cipher; outside of nationality there is neither art, nor truth, nor life; there is nothing."
The Message 1912
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"He's what's called a cosmopolite," Isabel suggested.
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"He's what's called a cosmopolite," Isabel suggested.
The Portrait of a Lady — Volume 1 Henry James 1879
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Hawthorne posed the problem of being an artist in America most sharply because he was not a "cosmopolite" man of letters but intensely and exclusively a writer of fiction, which was what James felt he must make of himself.
'The Complete Letters of Henry James, 1872-1876, Volume 1' 2009
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Maskat of Afghan parents, and brought up at Meccah, he was a kind of cosmopolite, speaking five languages fluently, and full of reminiscences of toil and travel.
Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah and Meccah 2003
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Sherringham winced at being dubbed a "cosmopolite" by his young entertainer, just as he had winced a moment before at hearing himself lumped in esoteric knowledge with Dashwood and Gabriel Nash; but the former of these gentlemen took no account of his sensibility while he enumerated a few of the elements of the "basic."
The Tragic Muse Henry James 1879
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To be denounced as a rootless cosmopolite in the very home of another notorious rootless cosmopolite carries its additional sting:
Archive 2009-06-01 2009
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I have at long last been exposed as a "rootless cosmopolite."
Archive 2009-06-01 2009
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Harvard-educated Internet entrepreneur and cosmopolite Alex Vik and his wife, Carrie, set out to conjure up a comprehensive personal vision here that involves ranch life, sports, and luxury; a genuine sense of place; and a reach for something universal.
Off the Beaten Track Richard Nalley 2010
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