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• down-to-earth
  down-to-earth

  adjective

  practical and realistic.
• down to earth
  down to earth

  Back to reality. For example, It's time the employees were brought down to earth concerning the budget . P.G. Wodehouse had this idiom in Very Good, Jeeves! (1930): “I had for some little time been living . . . in another world. I now came down to earth with a bang.” [Late 1920s]

down-to-earth

American  

[doun-too-urth, -tuh-] / ˈdaʊn tuˈɜrθ, -tə- /

adjective

1. practical and realistic.

   a down-to-earth person.

   Synonyms:

   pragmatic, sober, sensible, hardheaded

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down-to-earth British  

adjective

1. sensible; practical; realistic

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down to earth Idioms  

1. Back to reality. For example, It's time the employees were brought down to earth concerning the budget . P.G. Wodehouse had this idiom in Very Good, Jeeves! (1930): “I had for some little time been living . . . in another world. I now came down to earth with a bang.” [Late 1920s]

2. Also, down-to-earth . Realistic or interested in everyday occurrences, as in She is a very down-to-earth person, not at all involved with the glamour of Hollywood . [1930s]

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Etymology

Origin of down-to-earth

First recorded in 1925–30

Explanation

If you're practical and unpretentious, your friends might describe you as down-to-earth. When a movie star is known for being unassuming and friendly, you can also call them down-to-earth. This adjective has two slightly different meanings, the first of which is "realistic and sensible." You could say that someone who's down-to-earth has a lot of common sense. The second meaning is "modest or unpretentious," like a rock star who drives an old car and shows up at the local library and coffee shop — just like a regular person. Either way, being described as down-to-earth is always a compliment.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

down-to-earth down to earth

Swift built her reputation as an ultra-relatable pop star, seemingly down-to-earth with her regular girl fashion sensibilities, boy troubles and cat-lady tendencies.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

Fans flooded the comments section and praised the actress for her down-to-earth personality.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

The teachers were wise, down-to-earth, funny and—dare I say it—enlightening.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Describing Scolyer as a "cheery, down-to-earth, lad from Launceston" and a brilliant, internationally recognised scientist, he said: "He will be remembered as a truly great Australian."

From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026

“I don’t really know heir. It’s like when Dad asked, Is she down-to-earth? And I found out she was.”

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

Harald had been seen as a down to earth "people's king" who had helped to modernise the monarchy, broken with tradition by marrying a commoner and served as a unifying figure.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

“I expect investors to come back down to earth and start pricing the macroeconomic environment into equity valuations once again.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

Dolly always sort of signaled her love of the mess of it, and it didn’t bring her down to earth in your eyes, it elevated her even more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Its shares skyrocketed initially before coming back down to earth, and now sit at about their $135 offering price.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

Behind them were the lights of the market, the lanterns and candles and witch-lights and fairy glitter, like a dream of the night sky brought down to earth.

From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman