Urbane

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /ɜːˈbeɪn/
• Rhymes: -eɪn

Origin

Existing since the sixteenth century in the sense of “appropriate to a city”: from French urbain or from Latin urbanus (from urbs, “city”).

Full definition of urbane

Adjective

1. (of a man) Courteous, polite, refined, and suave.
• 1949: George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, p12He felt deeply drawn to him, and not solely because he was intrigued by the contrast between O’Brien’s urbane manner and his prize-fighter’s physique.

Antonyms

• rustic

Related terms

• urban