Megapolitan

//mɛɡəˈpɒlɪtən// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Synonym of megapolis.

    "With developments already planned, within 20 years Buckeye is expected to become a metropolis nearly as large as Phoenix. And Phoenix will be expanding east and south, too, creating a Phoenix/Tucson megapolitan. A total of such 10 megapolitans with urban and residential construction linking today's central cities into new, huge megapolitans: […]"

  2. 2
    An inhabitant of the ancient city of Megalopolis (now Megalopoli) in Greece.

    "The Megapolitans whoſe City did abide the ſiege, were compelled to pay as a fine for their rebellion twenty talents to the Athenians, and the Æolians."

  3. 3
    An inhabitant of a megapolis.
Adjective
  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to a megapolis (“a very large city or urban complex”).

    "Of the intellectual nature of Bosville, mention has been made already. It is, as we have seen, […] megapolitan, metropolitan, cosmopolitan,[…]."

  2. 2
    Of, pertaining to, or from the ancient city of Megalopolis (now Megalopoli) in Greece. not-comparable

    "At length he [Antigonus III Doson] assaulted with his right wing the position of Eucleidas; and, favoured by an error of that general, and a timely charge of Philopœmen with the Megapolitan cavalry, gained a complete victory."

Example

More examples

"Of the intellectual nature of Bosville, mention has been made already. It is, as we have seen, […] megapolitan, metropolitan, cosmopolitan,[…]."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From megapolis + -itan; compare megalopolitan.

Etymology 2

A variant of Megalopolitan; analysable as Megapolis + -itan. Megapolis is derived from Late Latin megapolis, from Ancient Greek μεγα- (mega-, “prefix meaning ‘large’”) + πόλις (pólis, “city”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.