# metropolitan

/ˌmɛtɹəˈpɑɫətən/ (US) · /mˌɛtɹəpˈɒlɪtən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/metropolitan
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. relating to a large city

adjective · CEFR B2

relating to a large city and the smaller towns or areas that surround it.

For teachers: 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.

### 2. relating to a home country

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

relating to the main part of a country rather than its overseas territories or colonies.

For teachers: 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.

### 3. a high-ranking bishop

noun · CEFR C2 · Formal · Technical

a high-ranking leader in some Christian churches who has authority over other bishops.

For teachers: 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.

### 4. a city dweller

noun · CEFR C1 · Literary

a person who lives in a large city.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- The metropolitan area has a very efficient public transport system.
- Commuters from the surrounding suburbs rely on the metropolitan train network to reach their offices in the city center.
- Urban planners must balance the needs of the metropolitan core with those of the expanding periphery to ensure sustainable growth across the entire region.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.