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

---

down-to-earth British  

adjective

1. sensible; practical; realistic

---

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]

---

Etymology

Origin of down-to-earth

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

People who know Majic describe him as an intense but down-to-earth guy who coaches youth hockey and crashes with old teammates when he travels.

From The Wall Street Journal

He's matter-of-fact, down-to-earth, good-humoured, and straight to the point.

From BBC

Templeman avidly avoided the public spotlight, with Branson describing her as a "down-to-earth Scottish lady" and "very private person" who almost never gave interviews.

From Barron's

He’s a master of the danceable groove that puts a lump in your throat, and his music is both expansive and down-to-earth.

From The Wall Street Journal

"You never see just a realistic, down-to-earth 'this is what trans people experience'," he says.

From BBC