worldly
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to this world as contrasted with heaven, spiritual life, etc.; earthly; mundane.
- Synonyms:
- temporal
- Antonyms:
- spiritual
-
experienced; knowing; sophisticated.
the benefits of his worldly wisdom.
- Synonyms:
- cosmopolitan, urbane
-
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
adjective
-
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
Synonym Usage
See earthly.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of worldly
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English wor(u)ldlīc. See world, -ly
Explanation
You can use the adjective worldly to describe people who have knowledge of many topics or experience in many areas. You don't have to travel the globe to be worldly; reading and talking about many things with knowledge and enthusiasm is worldly too. While worldly often describes individuals who are sophisticated and well-rounded in education, travel, and experiences, it's also used for people who are rooted in the world or focused on physical and material things around them, rather than on spiritual matters. An old expression in religion is "She was too heavenly minded for worldly good," and it describes those who think about the spiritual or supernatural so much that they aren't worldly enough to get anything done.
Vocabulary lists containing worldly
Excerpt from "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"
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Americanized
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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:
She says she is at peace with the fact all her worldly possessions fit in a bedroom that is no more than 12ft long, by eight feet wide.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
Smith conformed to the type of the absent-minded professor, but he was worldly enough to unmask the East India Co., a hybrid sovereign ruler and monopolistic business enterprise, as a misgoverned money pit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Lugging suitcases across the border after packing up in Pakistan, Afghans are returning home with their worldly possessions but often lack one key item to restart their lives: an identity card.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
If Belarus' shock draw with Denmark was weird then the manner of Scotland's victory - and the quality of the goals scored - was other worldly.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
“We are worldly and awesome youth,” said Johnny, “so you’ve come to the right end of the table.”
From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart
Deep learning -- machine learning's wiser and worldlier relative -- can digest larger quantities of information to make more nuanced decisions.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 4, 2024
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll talked at length on Tuesday about how Lynch, at 33, seems like a much worldlier, wiser, and mature person than in his previous incarnation.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2019
Her best biographer, Richard B. Sewall, unpicked this legend in his 1974 study, from which a worldlier and more socialized figure emerged.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 14, 2017
As a callow 18-year-old leaving for college, I’d seen my home town as a mere launching pad for a life in worldlier locales, a place to be from rather than a place to be.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 5, 2017
Scholarius would intrust the State to the Holy Virgin; but Constantine, with a worldlier inspiration, adheres to the craft held by Kings immemorially.
From The Prince of India — Volume 01 by Lewis Wallace
Tell her that if you’re right about that, at the time you were dealing with shame and fear, and felt your older sister was the worldliest person you could turn to.
From Slate ● May 2, 2021
And there’s no denying that when she sings, from a wildly diverse song list, she’s as polished and inventive as the worldliest cabaret artist.
From New York Times ● Apr. 30, 2010
A belly laugh at Nero's Rome delivered by the worldliest Roman of them all.
From Time Magazine Archive
A bawdy belly laugh at Nero's Rome delivered by the worldliest Roman of them all and translated with unexpurgated wit by Classicist William Arrowsmith.
From Time Magazine Archive
Your mind I have known for some time,' Mr Cupples went on, with a twinkle in his eye that would have done credit to the worldliest of creatures.
From Trent's Last Case by E. C. (Edmund Clerihew) Bentley
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.
