worldly

[wurld-lee]

See more synonyms for worldly on Thesaurus.com

adjective, world·li·er, world·li·est.

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.

adverb

in a worldly manner (archaic except in combination): worldly-wise; worldly-minded.

Origin of worldly

before 900; Middle English; Old English wor(u)ldlīc. See world, -ly

Related formsworld·li·ness, nounpre·world·li·ness, nounpre·world·ly, adjectivesu·per·world·li·ness, nounsu·per·world·ly, adjective

Synonyms for worldly

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1. temporal. See earthly. 2. urbane, cosmopolitan.

Antonyms for worldly

1. spiritual.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for worldliness

finesse, composure, tact, poise, elegance, refinement, worldliness, training, maturity, practice, understanding, wisdom, patience, contact, involvement, struggle, background, sense, action, know-how

Examples from the Web for worldliness

Contemporary Examples of worldliness

Michelle 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
Carl is repaid for his worldliness with failure and ignominy.
American Dreams: ‘O Pioneers!’ by Willa Cather
Nathaniel Rich
February 27, 2013
But there is one place where judging Almodóvar objectively is not seen as an affront to worldliness: Spain.
Is Pedro Almodóvar a Fraud?
Constantino Diaz-Duran
January 14, 2010

Historical Examples of worldliness

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 Myers
This worldliness was not frivolous, but earnest, and was ennobled by art and poetry.
The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy
Jacob Burckhardt
The worldliness and the wretchedness, and now it is too late!
Ainslee's, Vol. 15, No. 6, July 1905
Various
His indolence, his triviality, his worldliness become her own.
Modern Women and What is Said of Them
Anonymous
Worldliness it changes into heathenism, vice into blasphemy.
Natural Law in the Spiritual World
Henry Drummond

British Dictionary definitions for worldliness

worldly

adjective -lier or -liest

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

adverb

archaic in a worldly manner

Derived Formsworldliness, 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

Word Origin and History for worldliness

worldly

adj.

Old English woruldlic, from the roots of world and like (adj.). A common Germanic compound (cf. Old Frisian wraldlik, Old Saxon weroldlik, Middle Dutch wereldlik, German weltlich, Old Norse veraldligr). Worldly-wise is recorded from c.1400.