Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Refinement and elegance of manner; polished courtesy.
  • noun Courtesies; civilities.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The character of being urbane; that civility or courtesy of manners which is acquired by associating with well-bred people; politeness; suavity; courtesy.
  • noun A polished humor or facetiousness.
  • noun Synonyms Complaisance, amenity. See polite.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The quality or state of being urbane; civility or courtesy of manners; politeness; refinement.
  • noun obsolete Polite wit; facetiousness.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Behaviour that is polished, refined, courteous.
  • noun in the plural Courtesies.
  • noun What is characteristically urban in an area; urbanness.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun polished courtesy; elegance of manner
  • noun the quality or character of life in a city or town

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

urbane +‎ -ity.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

urban +‎ -ity (later than “courtesy” sense).

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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.

    Five People Born on March 14 | myFiveBest 2010

  • What we call urbanity is tolerance of other opinions; what we call reasonableness is the willingness to change opinions if convinced.

    The Foundations of Personality 1921

  • 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.

    The Golden Legend, vol. 3 1230-1298 1900

  • 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.

    The Englishwoman in America 2007

  • I've been wondering, though, whether "urbanity" is the right word for what we're thinking.

    The End of Suburbia David Wharton 2007

  • 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.

    Ghost Stories of an Antiquary Part 2: More Ghost Stories 1899

  • 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!

    Kincaid's Battery George Washington Cable 1884

  • 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.

    The Englishwoman in America 1867

  • 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

    FRAGMENTA REGALIA Hentzner, Paul & Naunton, Robert 1641

  • The prominent Queen's Counsel, in welcoming Justice Kirby to the bench, commented on the new judge's "urbanity".

    Latest News - Yahoo!7 News 2009

Comments

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  • "there is an important difference between rusticity and urbanity"

    August 16, 2007