worldly-wise
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of worldly-wise
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400
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.
Bellamy version 2.0 may well be more worldly-wise, more focused, more able to channel the passion for the game and his country that has always run deep.
From BBC • Sep. 7, 2024
I loved Ferrell first and foremost because she looked and sounded like my people — red-haired and rotund, but worldly-wise and dry rather than jolly.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2020
The worldly-wise Marschallin tells Octavian, as tactfully as possible, that their affair, though lovely, will not last.
From New York Times • Dec. 15, 2019
“I know,” rumbles Pacino, leaning in and turning worldly-wise.
From The Guardian • Nov. 1, 2019
Theo Theodorakis and Doug Hoo, older and more worldly-wise, exchanged winks but stayed to hear the rest of the story.
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
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.
