Word
Definitions
01relating to a large city
B2 · Upper Intermediate
adj. relating to a large city and the smaller towns or areas that surround it.
adj. pertaining to a metropolis or a large urban settlement, including its immediate suburban hinterland.
“The metropolitan area has a great public transport system that connects the suburbs to the city centre.”
“Planners are struggling to manage the rapid expansion of the metropolitan district as more people migrate from rural provinces in search of employment.”
Antonyms
02relating to a home country
C1 · Advanced Formal
adj. relating to the main part of a country rather than its overseas territories or colonies.
adj. pertaining to the parent state of a colony or territory, or the home country as distinct from its dependencies.
“The laws in metropolitan France are sometimes different from those in its overseas islands.”
“The treaty distinguished between the rights of citizens living in the metropolitan territory and those residing in the distant administrative colonies.”
03a high-ranking bishop
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Religion Formal · Technical
n. a high-ranking leader in some Christian churches who has authority over other bishops.
n. a bishop with oversight of a province or see, typically ranking as an archbishop within Eastern Orthodox or Roman Catholic hierarchies.
“The Metropolitan led the special service at the cathedral on Sunday morning.”
“The Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church issued a formal decree regarding the administration of the new parishes in the northern province.”
Synonyms
04a city dweller
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Literary
n. a person who lives in a large city.
n. an inhabitant of a metropolis, often implying a person with sophisticated or urban tastes.
“As a lifelong metropolitan, she found the quiet of the countryside quite strange.”
“The author writes for the sophisticated metropolitan who enjoys the fast-paced lifestyle of a global capital.”
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “metropolitan” in context.
Real-World Examples
“Security operations have constrained gang activity in parts of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, including Delmas and Tabarre.” “This refers to people earning between 80% and 120% of the area median income , or the middle household income for a given metropolitan region.” Etymology
From Late Latin metropolitanus, from Ancient Greek μητροπολίτης (mētropolítēs).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/metropolitan
「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0