Word of the Day:

December 30, 2024

urbane

adjective er-BAYN

What it Means

Someone described as urbane is notably polite, confident, or polished in manner. Urbane is also used to describe things that are fashionable and somewhat formal.

// "When did my willful, childish cousin turn into this urbane young artist greeting the guests at her opening reception?" wondered Elena.

// We were impressed by the hotel's urbane sophistication.

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Urbane in Context

"The classical-meets-country-house architecture offers a relaxed lifestyle fused with urbane glamour and a thoroughly modern slate of creature comforts." — Mark David, Robb Report, 18 June 2024

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Did You Know?

City slickers and country folk have long debated whether life is better in town or in the wide-open spaces, and urbane is a term that springs from the throes of that debate. In its earliest English uses, urbane was synonymous with its close relative urban ("of, relating to, characteristic of, or constituting a city"). Both words come from the Latin adjective urbanus ("urban, urbane"), which in turn comes from urbs, meaning "city." The modern sense of urbane developed from the belief (no doubt fostered by cosmopolitan city dwellers) that living in the city made one more suave and polished than did leading a rural life.