Metropolitan (Noun)

Meaning ¹

A person who lives in a metropolis.

Classification

Nouns denoting people.

Hypernyms

• Occupant
• Occupier

Meaning ²

In the Eastern Orthodox Church this title is given to a position between bishop and patriarch; equivalent to archbishop in western Christianity.

Classification

Nouns denoting people.

Examples

• The metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus' is the spiritual leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
• In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the metropolitan is the highest-ranking bishop in a particular region or country.
• The metropolitan of Constantinople was elevated to the position of ecumenical patriarch in the 6th century.
• The title of metropolitan is reserved for bishops who oversee multiple dioceses or a large geographic area.
• The metropolitan of Moscow is one of the most prominent figures in the Russian Orthodox Church.