metropolitan
Relating to a metropolis or a very large city and its characteristic features.
EXAMPLE
Die metropolitanen Zentren Europas sind für ihre kulturelle Vielfalt bekannt.
Europe's metropolitan centers are known for their cultural diversity.
metropolitan
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Meanings
Usage tips
Register and style
The word 'metropolitan' is rather formal and is used mainly in written language, in the news, or in specialist texts (e.g., geography, urban planning). It is rare in everyday conversation.
EXAMPLE
Die Studie analysiert die Entwicklung in den metropolitanen Räumen des Landes.
The study analyzes development in the country's metropolitan areas.
Typical collocations
'Metropolitan' usually describes geographic or administrative units. Common combinations are 'metropolitane Region' (metropolitan region), 'metropolitaner Raum' (metropolitan area), or 'metropolitanes Gebiet' (metropolitan area).
EXAMPLE
Hamburg ist das Zentrum einer großen metropolitanen Region in Norddeutschland.
Hamburg is the center of a large metropolitan region in northern Germany.
Sentence structure and use
This adjective is almost always used attributively, that is, before a noun. Predicative use (e.g., 'Die Stadt ist metropolitan.' (The city is metropolitan.)) is very unusual.
EXAMPLE
Viele junge Menschen zieht es in die metropolitanen Gebiete.
Many young people are drawn to the metropolitan areas.
Compare with
metropolitan vs urban
urban
Urban generally describes something related to a city and can refer to cities of different sizes. Metropolitan, by contrast, emphasizes a connection to a metropolis or very large city. Urban fits an ordinary city environment; metropolitan is more precise for typical features of a major metropolis.
metropolitan
Das Viertel bietet ein metropolitanes Leben mit internationaler Kultur und dem Tempo einer Millionenstadt.
The neighborhood offers a metropolitan lifestyle with international culture and the pace of a city of millions.
urban
Das Viertel bietet ein urbanes Leben mit Cafés, Bussen und vielen Geschäften.
The neighborhood offers an urban lifestyle with cafés, buses, and plenty of shops.
In real life
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