urbane

adj., -ban·er, -ban·est.

Polite, refined, and often elegant in manner.

[Latin urbānus, of a city. See urban.]

urbanely ur·bane'ly adv.

From a farewell tribute by The New York Times to a veteran TV newsman:

"Peter Jennings, a high school dropout from Canada who transformed himself into one of the most urbane, well-traveled and recognizable journalists on American television, died yesterday at home."

Link: Peter Jennings, ABC News Anchor, Dies at 67

Posted August 9, 2005.

See our Word Overheard blog to see interesting uses of strange words.

adjective

1. Effortlessly gracious and tactful in social manner: bland, smooth, suave. See style/good style/bad style.
2. Characterized by discriminating taste and broad knowledge as a result of development or education: civilized, cultivated, cultured, educated, polished, refined, well-bred. See culture/nature.

adj

Definition: civilized
Antonyms: uncivilized, uncouth, unsophisticated

---

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - beleven, urban, dannet, høflig

Nederlands (Dutch)
beschaafd, elegant

Français (French)
adj. - plein de savoir-faire, raffiné (un style)

Deutsch (German)
adj. - weltmännisch

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - αβρός, πολιτισμένος, ραφιναρισμένος, με τρόπους

Italiano (Italian)
cortese

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - urbano, cortês

Русский (Russian)
с изысканными манерами

Español (Spanish)
adj. - cortés, urbano

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - belevad, världsvan, artig, urban

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
彬彬有礼的, 文雅的

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 彬彬有禮的, 文雅的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 도시풍의, 세련된, 점잖은

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 都会風の, 上品な, 洗練された, 丁重な

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) مؤدب, اديب, انيق‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮אדיב, מנומס, אלגנטי, מעודן‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.