Metropolitan vs. Cosmopolitan — What's the Difference?

Metropolitan and Cosmopolitan are two words that both relate to urban and cultural experiences, but they signify different aspects. Metropolitan is usually used to describe large cities or urban areas and their suburbs, essentially relating to a densely populated geographical location. Cosmopolitan, however, refers to a certain cultural characteristic; it describes places, people, or things as being worldly, open-minded, and diverse.

Being metropolitan typically implies having various urban amenities, like public transportation, high population density, and a range of services. The term is often used to identify large cities or areas that are economic, social, or political hubs. Cosmopolitan places or individuals, on the other hand, show a level of sophistication and a wide-ranging familiarity or appreciation for global cultures, cuisines, and languages.

In a real estate or political context, the word metropolitan is often used to describe areas that include not just a major city but also its surrounding communities. This could mean a metropolitan area or a metropolitan county. Cosmopolitan doesn't have such a fixed, spatial definition; it is more an attribute or quality. A small town can have a cosmopolitan atmosphere if it's culturally diverse and its residents have worldly tastes.

Metropolitan areas are often—but not always—cosmopolitan. That is, a large city can have all the amenities and still be provincial or monocultural. Conversely, a place can be cosmopolitan without being metropolitan. For example, an individual or even a small community can have a cosmopolitan outlook without being part of a large urban area.

Finally, while metropolitan is more commonly used as an adjective, it can also function as a noun, as in "a metropolitan is a resident of a metropolis." Cosmopolitan is most often used as an adjective but can also be a noun to describe a person who has a worldly outlook, as in "she is a cosmopolitan."