worldly
of or relating to this world as contrasted with heaven, spiritual life, etc.; earthly; mundane.
experienced; knowing; sophisticated: the benefits of his worldly wisdom.
devoted to, directed toward, or connected with the affairs, interests, or pleasures of this world.
of or relating to the people or laity; secular; neither ecclesiastical nor religious.
Obsolete. of, relating to, or existing on earth.
in a worldly manner (archaic except in combination): worldly-wise; worldly-minded.
Origin of worldly
1synonym study For worldly
Other words for worldly
Opposites for worldly
Other words from worldly
- world·li·ness, noun
- pre·world·li·ness, noun
- pre·world·ly, adjective
- su·per·world·li·ness, noun
- su·per·world·ly, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use worldly in a sentence
They are among his dearest worldly possessions, the paper trail of his protracted confinement, though he can barely read.
He was locked up at age 15. Almost seven decades later, he’s reentering an unfamiliar world. | Karen Heller | February 19, 2021 | Washington PostForged in the fires of the Counter-Reformation, the Jesuit Order adopted many Protestant practices, including an emphasis on schooling and worldly skills.
Martin Luther Rewired Your Brain - Issue 96: Rewired | Joseph Henrich | February 17, 2021 | NautilusI asked long-term travelers how they prepared for a marathon trip, from obtaining the right credit card to dealing with all of their worldly possessions.
The hard work of going away for a long, long time | Christopher Elliott | January 6, 2021 | Washington PostAs a rule, farming isn’t as hazardous as trench warfare, but it can result in the kinds of accidents that leave only minutes to pass on one’s worldly goods.
Martin painted the emotions you can access there, on the furthest frontiers of tedium, when manufactured emotions and worldly concerns have been dulled by countless laps or lines.
After the 2016 election, Agnes Martin's paintings gave me solace. This time, they're still an escape. | Kelsey Ables | November 8, 2020 | Washington Post
This year, with slightly more worldliness and way fewer drinks consumed, I could see the emotionally fraught underbelly.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots | Emily Shire | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMichelle King: But her worldliness or pragmatism, it's not as though it's being led by what Peter and his campaign are doing.
‘The Good Wife’: Creators Robert and Michelle King on the Season Finale, Alicia and Kalinda, and More | Jace Lacob | April 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTCarl is repaid for his worldliness with failure and ignominy.
American Dreams: ‘O Pioneers!’ by Willa Cather | Nathaniel Rich | February 27, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTHitchens exuded what I thought then was a superb worldliness.
But there is one place where judging Almodóvar objectively is not seen as an affront to worldliness: Spain.
I hurt you when I say that, but I want you to be my good friend, as always, in spite of my worldliness.
Patchwork | Anna Balmer MyersAnd it has to be said that Elsie April in all her young and radiant splendour and woman-of-the-worldliness was equally stiff.
The Regent | E. Arnold BennettSome have fallen into worldliness and a fashionable life, and are broken down under it.
The Education of American Girls | Anna Callender BrackettThere were, then, some streaks of good-natured worldliness which tallied with Christian duty.
Unhappy is the man who leaves to his children the influence of a heart hard as stone and a worldliness wily as a serpent!
The Hearth-Stone | Samuel Osgood
British Dictionary definitions for worldly
/ (ˈwɜːldlɪ) /
not spiritual; mundane or temporal
Also: worldly-minded absorbed in or concerned with material things or matters that are immediately relevant
Also: worldly-wise versed in the ways of the world; sophisticated
archaic existing on or relating to the earth
obsolete secular; lay
archaic in a worldly manner
Derived forms of worldly
- worldliness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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