metropolitan

1 of 2

noun

met·​ro·​pol·​i·​tan ˌme-trə-ˈpä-lə-tən How to pronounce metropolitan (audio)
1
: the primate of an ecclesiastical province
2
: one who lives in a metropolis or displays metropolitan manners or customs

metropolitan

2 of 2

adjective

1
: of or constituting a metropolitan or his see
2
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a metropolis and sometimes including its suburbs
3
: of, relating to, or constituting a mother country as distinguished from a colony

Examples of metropolitan in a Sentence

Noun a TV series about the lives and loves of a group of young, attractive metropolitans Adjective the greater New York metropolitan area This is one of the best seafood restaurants in metropolitan Los Angeles.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Unfortunately, in the many car-centric metropolitans of the US, a leisurely stroll from your hotel lobby might just lead you to a parking lot instead. Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Jan. 2024 In September, median asking rents in the 50 largest metropolitans dropped to $1,747, according to Realtor.com’s latest rental report released on Monday. Byalena Botros, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2023 RentCafe’s report was based on Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, or IPUMS, data from the University of Minnesota looking at the nation’s 110 largest metropolitans. Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2023 The city was the last metropolitan in Alabama to rid itself of the commission form of government. John Sharp, al, 18 Jan. 2022 Thailand declared semi-lockdowns in the Bangkok metropolitan and 6 other province on July 12. Fernando Alfonso Iii, CNN, 17 July 2021 But truly rural areas are a relatively small slice of the electorate: In 2016, only 14 percent of all voters cast ballots in counties defined by the Census Bureau as non-metropolitan. David Wasserman, NBC News, 28 Oct. 2019 Brexit devolved into an identity war: an English counter-revolution between nationalists and internationalists, country geezers versus young metropolitans, Little England versus Great Britain. Tina Brown, Time, 6 June 2019 The new list ranks the country's 125 largest metropolitan areas based on affordability, job prospects and quality of life. Enquirer Staff, Cincinnati.com, 13 Apr. 2018
Adjective
The Inland Empire of Southern California is a metropolitan area that centers around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside. Danny Palumbo / The Takeout, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024 The rain seemed relatively widespread, so that no one section of the metropolitan area received the full atmospheric bounty while envious others went without. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2024 The Indianapolis metropolitan area has now grown by 2.3% since 2020, which is more than twice the national average. Rory Appleton, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Mar. 2024 By the end of the decade, Phoenix was well consolidated as a metropolitan area, with continuous, unabated growth. Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024 What other metropolitan characteristics appeal to OVG? Countries or cities that not only attract from surrounding countries but serve as the point of destination for a much broader area. Dave Brooks, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2024 The incident occurred Saturday in Woodland, in the Sacramento metropolitan area, police said. Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 Dallas and Atlanta saw their home prices appreciate above the national average too, and yet their average home values are considerably lower than, say, Los Angeles or San Francisco (both of which are considered to be within the top six major metropolitan areas). Alena Botros, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024 To compile the list, the website looked at the one hundred most populated metropolitan areas across the region and ranked them by factors such as violent crime rates, monthly expenses for residents 65 and over, and percentage of seniors from the general population. Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 18 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'metropolitan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Late Latin metropolitanus of the see of a metropolitan, from metropolita, noun, metropolitan, from Late Greek mētropolitēs, from mētropolis see of a metropolitan, from Greek, capital

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of metropolitan was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near metropolitan

Cite this Entry

“Metropolitan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metropolitan. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

metropolitan

1 of 2 noun
met·​ro·​pol·​i·​tan ˌme-trə-ˈpäl-ət-ᵊn How to pronounce metropolitan (audio)
1
: the head of a church province
2
: one who lives in a metropolis or who has metropolitan manners or customs

metropolitan

2 of 2 adjective
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a metropolis
2
: of or relating to a city and the densely populated surrounding areas

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