down-to-earth
adjective
practical and realistic.
Jump To:
-
down-to-earth
-
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
down-to-earth
British
adjective
down to earth
Idioms
-
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]
-
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
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He made those earlier this year to launch the biggest IPO ever in June, a headier period that has now given way to the more down-to-earth reality of executing on the strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
When Bertha’s down-to-earth sister, Monica, threatens to ruin the overall aesthetic with a dowdy frock, some light sabotage leads Monica to accept Bertha’s previously worn Season 1 gown.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
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
She seemed pretty down-to-earth for a kid raised in Hollywood.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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
"Real nice fellow, down to earth, no arrogance or nothing."
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
England remain in control of their destiny - but this was a drab encounter that brought them back down to earth with a bump.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
But if you throw a rock fast enough, it won’t curve back down to earth; it will zoom out of the earth’s atmosphere and escape the earth’s gravitational pull.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
