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cosmopolite

cosmopolite

9.5
A person who feels comfortable in many countries and cultures
  • noun
  • /ˌkɑːzməˈpɒlaɪt/
translation icon : cosmopolita
  • Here they were now, I might have added, buying up the native home of crofter and creelman, turning a Hebridean isle into a jaunt for a cosmopolite.

Examples

  • Cosmopolites.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The cultivated mushroom is a truly rootless cosmopolite.

    Academic text (1990)
  • I found him at the time a knowledgeable cosmopolite, receptive to good writing, quietly determined, rather severe yet congenial.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Today, residents of Mwansabombwe, the Lunda-Kazembe capital, are viewed as the cosmopolites of the region, and as many said to me during my visit in 2002, they pride themselves on living in the "largest village in central Africa," sometimes referred to as "Little London." (n6)

    Academic text (2006)
  • These days, corporate leaders are routinely recipients of honorary doctorates; the disgraced cosmopolite, Robert Maxwell, harvested his internationally from Aberdeen, Moscow, and New York.

    Academic text (2002)
  • First, it has been noted that, in its eighteenth-century origins, the figure of the cosmopolite developed as a creature of rhetoric rather than as a robust theory, thereby raising the question of whether the notion of world citizenship expresses any theoretical insight at all.

    Academic text (2016)
  • This provides an apt vignette of the Italian-born cosmopolite, who enjoyed himself mightily in the little north Finnish seaport for three winter months, playing "quartettos" with his companions to a delighted local audience.

    Academic text (1996)
  • As a seasoned traveler, she considered herself a true cosmopolite, easily making friends in every country she visited.

  • His experiences in multiple cultures made him a respected cosmopolite among his peers.

  • Living in various cities around the world, he became a cosmopolite, comfortable in diverse cultural settings.

Synonyms

cosmopolitan
vscosmopolite
11 7.4

A person who feels comfortable in many countries and cultures

has identical meaning but slightly more formal tone

Antonyms

197 1.2

A person who lives in a particular area or community

xenophobe
  • Offensive
3 9.4

A person who dislikes or fears people from other countries

How Cosmopolitan

cosmopolite
9.5
expatriate
19 6.2
traveler
  • US
286 1.0
local
197 1.2

Surface Forms

cosmopolite singular
cosmopolites plural

Etymology

Cosmopolite comes from Greek parts cosmo- meaning 'world', as in cosmos, and -polite meaning 'citizen', the same root as politics. So a cosmopolite is a 'citizen of the world', which explains why they feel at home in many countries.