as in city
a thickly settled, highly populated area
a sprawling cosmopolis where ambitious people from all over come to make their fortune
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Recent Examples of cosmopolis
While Istanbul and Cappadocia are more popular with tourists to Turkey, don't miss the chance to explore Izmir, which was once the country's most thriving cosmopolis.
—
Lilit Marcus, CNN, 8 Oct. 2022
Istanbul is a cosmopolis unlike any other—where the remains of former empires, the cultural influences of multi-ethnic communities, and contemporary Turkish identity all exist in delicate harmony.
—Feride Yalav-Heckeroth, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 June 2022
On the Volga a quasi-capital rose at Sarai, established by Batu around 1250, and grew into a cosmopolis of artisans, farmers, and merchants from as far away as Syria, Egypt, even Greece—so many that a New Sarai was founded upriver.
—Colin Thubron, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2021
For decades a symbol of all that was dead and dysfunctional in the ever-expanding cosmopolis, the river is undergoing its own rehabilitation, shedding some of its visible concrete.
—Alexandra Marshall, WSJ, 14 Aug. 2018
Lilit Marcus, CNN, 8 Oct. 2022
Istanbul is a cosmopolis unlike any other—where the remains of former empires, the cultural influences of multi-ethnic communities, and contemporary Turkish identity all exist in delicate harmony.
—Feride Yalav-Heckeroth, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 June 2022
On the Volga a quasi-capital rose at Sarai, established by Batu around 1250, and grew into a cosmopolis of artisans, farmers, and merchants from as far away as Syria, Egypt, even Greece—so many that a New Sarai was founded upriver.
—Colin Thubron, The New York Review of Books, 6 July 2021
For decades a symbol of all that was dead and dysfunctional in the ever-expanding cosmopolis, the river is undergoing its own rehabilitation, shedding some of its visible concrete.
—Alexandra Marshall, WSJ, 14 Aug. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cosmopolis
Noun
-
Federal agents can access private city data, coordinate with local police and tear families apart without warning.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
-
The cost of living in Los Angeles and in major cities across the country has really gone up.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
4 May 2026
Noun
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This will not only strengthen the state’s demand for more power and fresh water for rural areas and major metropolises, but create thousands of new and needed jobs.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
-
But beyond the rockets and stars, Houston is a vibrant metropolis alive with culture, creativity, and flavor.—
Carrie Honaker,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Our neighbors were Blacks and Puerto Ricans, working-class Irish and Italians, and some Jews who hadn’t yet moved on, plus the legions of us new immigrants, from Asia and Eastern Europe and the Caribbean, who’d ended up in this commuter town north of New York City.—
Chang-rae Lee,
New Yorker,
3 May 2026
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One afternoon in November, just north of the small Oregon coastal town of Yachats, a juvenile humpback whale tumbled ashore.—
Robin Romm,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cosmopolis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cosmopolis. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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