urbane
pronunciation
How to pronounce urbane in British English:
UK [ɜ:ˈbeɪn]
How to pronounce urbane in American English:
US [ɜrˈbeɪn]
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- Adjective:
- showing a high degree of refinement and the assurance that comes from wide social experience
- characterized by tact and propriety
- marked by wide-ranging knowledge and appreciation of many parts of the world arising from urban life and wide travel
Word Origin
- urbane (adj.)
- 1530s, "of or relating to cities or towns," from Middle French urbain (14c.) and directly from Latin urbanus "belonging to a city," also "citified, elegant" (see urban). The meaning "having the manners of townspeople, courteous, refined" is from 1620s, from a secondary sense in classical Latin. Urbanity in this sense is recorded from 1530s. For sense connection and differentiation of form, compare human/humane; german/germane.
Example
- 1. Even urbane foreign-ministry types are waking up to the new mood in japan .
- 2. Charming , persuasive and urbane , prof tufano would be hard to refuse .
- 3. It begins with what mr regan calls an " ice-breaking " dinner , where participants trade urbane conversation about trips taken , business ventures and their favourite aircraft .
- 4. He would doubtless have relished the paradox that such an urbane , cosmopolitan figure is now the front for a regime that in essence owes its power to a feudal monarchy .
- 5. The question facing mr mack 's successor as chief executive , james gorman ( pictured ) , an urbane australian , is equally vexing : how should the 75-year-old firm be reshaped so that it can prosper in a post-crisis world ?