Metropolis Meaning
/mɪˈtɹɒp.ə.lɪs/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe mother (founding) polis (city state) of a colony.
nounA large, busy city, especially as the main city in an area or country or as distinguished from surrounding rural areas.
Sentence Examples
A recent survey reveals that the population density in the metropolis is decreasing.
A recent survey revealed that the population density in the metropolis was decreasing.
Algiers is a metropolis of three and a half million people.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
Tokyo is a bustling ____ with over 13 million residents in the urban area.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
New York City is a bustling ____ known for its diverse culture, towering skyscrapers, and vibrant nightlife.
Word Origin & History
Borrowed from Late Latin mētropolis, from Ancient Greek μητρόπολις (mētrópolis, “mother city”), from μήτηρ (mḗtēr, “mother”) + πόλις (pólis, “city (state)”). By surface analysis, metro- + -polis. Doublet of metropole.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Colonies certainly did not become "clones" of their metropolises, but it is equally false that their colonial heritages were not influenced by the organization of the metropolises."
— 2010, James Mahoney, Colonialism and Postcolonial Development: Spanish America in Comparative Perspective:
"An immense metropolis, like London, is calculated to make men selfish and uninteresting."
— 1819, Washington Irving, The Sketch Book, Rural Life in England:
"[I]t would not be very much less absurd for someone to write about New York City after having spent only a few years or a few decades in this metropolis of inexhaustible adventure, of terrifying emotional fecundity, of uncapturable character."
— 1946, George Johnston, Skyscrapers in the Mist, page 52:
"Love is dead in metropolis / All contact through glove or partition"
— 1983, “Sleeper in Metropolis”, in Changing Places, performed by Anne Clark:
"They call me the Hiphopopotamus / Flows that glow like phosphorous / Popping off the top of this esophagus / Rocking this metropolis"
— 2008, “Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros”, performed by Flight of the Conchords:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Tokyo is a bustling ____ with over 13 million residents in the urban area.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
New York City is a bustling ____ known for its diverse culture, towering skyscrapers, and vibrant nightlife.