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

“This is the type of friend a lot of us wish we had,” Bryon Taylor wrote on Facebook, who described Porter as a funny, cool and down-to-earth person who loved life.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2026

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

From BBC • Dec. 4, 2025

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 • Nov. 26, 2025

Plus, included eyes and mouth stickers give your extravagant purchase a down-to-earth persona.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

I could feel the warm, likeable and very down-to-earth qualities of Dr. Nkrumah.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey