down-to-earthˌdown-to-ˈearth adjective 
Examples
Fran’s a friendly, down-to-earth person. a chef with a down-to-earth approach to cooking
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- People are surprised by what an unpretentious, down-to-earth guy he really is.
- She's sophisticated, but also practical and down-to-earth.
- Eyre's down-to-earth style was well suited to the exploration of these recondite matters.
- He thought that it was good to be down-to-earth and scientific.
- I never met a more down-to-earth young woman in my life.
- Looked a sensible, down-to-earth type to me, and he might be a corrective to what we've just been hearing.
- Luckily none of us are massive egotists, we're down-to-earth people, really.
- What we want is down-to-earth accountability, not lots of incomprehensible grand ideas.
Longman Language Activatorpeople► sensible
Collocations someone who is sensible is unlikely to do anything stupid, because they judge situations well and make good decisions: · Laura's a pretty sensible girl. I don't think she'd talk to strangers.· He's one of the few sensible people on the council.be sensible spoken: · Be sensible - you can't go out without a coat in this weather.sensible about: · People are far more sensible about what and how much they drink these days.
► reasonable someone who is reasonable makes sensible decisions that are fair to everyone: · She's usually very reasonable as a boss, but now and again her temper flares up.· Let's try and discuss this in a calm and reasonable way.be reasonable spoken: · Be reasonable, Paul - I'm only trying to help.
► responsible someone who is responsible can be trusted to do what they should do and to think about the results of their actions: · We aim to educate our children to become socially responsible citizens.· I'm a responsible adult. I can make my own choices.
► mature a child or young person who is mature behaves in a sensible way, as you would expect an older person to behave: · She's very mature for her age.· After two years of college, the students have a much more mature attitude.
► rational if someone is rational , their actions are based on a clear understanding of the facts of a situation, and are not influenced by their feelings or imagination: · Taking action to defend yourself is a completely rational reaction if you're being attacked.· Many of the patients have long histories of drug abuse, and they're not always rational.
► practical/realistic/pragmatic having the ability to understand situations and to know what is or is not possible: · She's a practical manager who realizes that a happy workforce is also a productive one.· The people of this country need to be more realistic - you can't have lower taxes as well as higher spending on health and pensions.· She is a tough, pragmatic, intuitive leader.
► no-nonsense direct and dealing with things in a practical way, without wasting time on things that do not matter: · Mathews is a no-nonsense veteran of the police department.· Jason, with his no-nonsense approach, has been an asset to the project.
► down-to-earth someone who is down-to-earth is practical and honest, and does not think they are more important, more intelligent etc than other people: · She's sophisticated, but also practical and down-to-earth.· People are surprised by what an unpretentious, down-to-earth guy he really is.
► talk sense especially spoken if someone talks sense , they express sensible ideas or opinions that you agree with: · Someone who could talk sense would get my vote, but most politicians don't.
► have your head screwed on British /have your head screwed on right American use this about someone who will always behave sensibly in a difficult or confusing situation: · Don't worry about Sheila. She's got her head screwed on.· Anyone who can raise three such normal kids in Hollywood must have their head screwed on right.
► sane able to think clearly and likely to behave in a sensible way, especially when other people are not being sensible: · I don't think any sane person would take his threats seriously.· It was a relief to hear one sane voice among all the shouting and hysteria.keep somebody sane: · Exercise keeps me sane. If I didn't exercise, the stress would get to me.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► more
practical and direct in a sensible honest way: · I never met a more down-to-earth young woman in my life.· Yazzie's approach is much more down-to-earth.· That feat could not be achieved without making Maurice more down-to-earth than he was.
Fran’s a friendly, down-to-earth person. a chef with a down-to-earth approach to cooking