urbane

adjective ur·bane \ ˌər-ˈbān \

Updated on: 22 Nov 2017

Definition of urbane

: notably polite or polished in manner

—

urbanely

adverb

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Examples of urbane in a Sentence

The dialogue is witty and urbane.
a gentlemanly and urbane host of elegant dinner parties

Recent Examples of urbane from the Web

Not to bring up a sad subject, but the passing of Steely Dan’s Walter Becker: His songs were urbane, cosmopolitan, and his playing stellar.

— a.d. amorosi, Philly.com, "Is Michael McDonald cool again? The singer-songwriter (and his fabulous head of hair) returns to Philly," 23 Oct. 2017
Even before his divorce in 1959, Hefner sought to embody the Playboy image of the carefree, urbane man about town.

— matt schudel, Alaska Dispatch News, "Hugh Hefner, visionary editor who founded Playboy magazine, dies at 91," 28 Sep. 2017
And being inside the Baccarat Hotel is like being inside a fine crystal lamp where an urbane French genie who wears Louis Vuitton suits lives.

— daniel jackson, Allure, "Kim Kardashian Opens Up to Allure About Life After the Paris Robbery," 18 Sep. 2017
For the rest of us, what shines on is Becker’s lithe, urbane artistry.

— kyle smith, National Review, "Farewell to Steely Dan," 5 Sep. 2017
As a result, designers are rethinking everything from dog dishes to cat beds, creating urbane and design-savvy products that fit in with a modern home space.

— kavita daswani, latimes.com, "How cats and dogs are transforming the way we live, play and decorate," 2 Sep. 2017
If his supporters felt humiliated and dislocated and eclipsed by an urbane black president, Trump would make that president’s voters feel even worse.

— michelle goldberg, Slate Magazine, "Trump’s Revenge," 26 Aug. 2017
Richard Wilbur, whose meticulous, urbane poems earned him two Pulitzer Prizes and selection as the national poet laureate, died on Saturday in Belmont, Mass.

— daniel lewis, New York Times, "Richard Wilbur, Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Winner, Dies at 96," 15 Oct. 2017
Guzman lends an appealing feel of urbane reserve to the Academic, who takes the hapless Writer under his wing but soon finds the two are at odds on a whole host of topics (right down to the merits of their respective Brooklyn neighborhoods).

— james hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Diversionary's 'Homos' confronts thorny issues of being out in America," 29 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'urbane.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

When Should You Use urbane?

City slickers and country folk have long debated whether life is better in town or in the wide open spaces, and urbane is a term that springs from the throes of that debate. The word traces back to Latin urbs, meaning "city," and in its earliest English uses urbane was synonymous with its close relative urban ("of, relating to, characteristic of, or constituting a city"). Urbane developed its modern sense of savoir faire from the belief (no doubt fostered by city dwellers) that living in the city made one more suave and polished than did leading a rural life.

Origin and Etymology of urbane

Latin urbanus urban, urbane

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First Known Use: circa 1623

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urbane Synonyms

Synonyms

debonair, smooth, sophisticated, svelte, suave

Antonyms

boorish, churlish, classless, clownish, loutish, uncouth

Near Antonyms

awkward, clumsy, gauche, graceless, stiff, stilted, uncomfortable, uneasy, ungraceful, wooden; callow, green, inexperienced, puerile, raw; hick, parochial, provincial, rough-hewn, rustic (also rustical); inelegant, philistine, uncivilized, uncultured, unrefined; unsophisticated, unworldly; gawky, lubberly, stodgy, ungainly; diffident, insecure

Synonym Discussion of urbane

suave, urbane, diplomatic, bland, smooth, politic mean pleasantly tactful and well-mannered. suave suggests a specific ability to deal with others easily and without friction.