cosmopolite

[ koz-mop-uh-lahyt ]
See synonyms for cosmopolite on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who is cosmopolitan in their ideas, life, etc.; citizen of the world.

  2. an animal or plant of worldwide distribution.

Origin of cosmopolite

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Greek kosmopolī́tēs “citizen of the world,” equivalent to kosmo- cosmo- + polī́tēs “citizen” (pól(is) “a city, state” + -ītēs -ite1)

Other words from cosmopolite

  • cos·mop·o·lit·ism, noun
  • non·cos·mop·o·lite, noun
  • non·cos·mop·o·lit·ism, noun

Words Nearby cosmopolite

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cosmopolite in a sentence

  • He had thought himself very sharp that first day in hitting them all off in his mind with the “cosmopolite” label.

    The Pupil | Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for cosmopolite

cosmopolite

/ (kɒzˈmɒpəˌlaɪt) /


noun
  1. a less common word for cosmopolitan (def. 1)

  2. an animal or plant that occurs in most parts of the world

Derived forms of cosmopolite

  • cosmopolitism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012