worldly
/ˈwəːldli
/adjective (worldlier, worldliest)
1(Of a person) experienced and sophisticated: she was much more worldly than Nora and dismissed the slur...
- Younger people will ask you important and earnest questions only an experienced and worldly man of age can answer.
- She uses particular features to portray herself as a sophisticated, worldly woman.
- Australians love America, but any worldly person knows you do not threaten Aussies.
Synonyms
sophisticated, experienced, worldly-wise, knowledgeable, knowing, aware, enlightened, shrewd, astute, perceptive, media-savvy, mature, seasoned, cosmopolitan, urbane, cultivated, cultured, unprovincial
informal having been around
2Of or concerned with material values or ordinary life rather than a spiritual existence: his ambitions for worldly success...
- At this age I've had a lot of career and I'm less concerned about my worldly success.
- In a culture that measures everything in terms of size, success, and influence, we have to say no to these worldly values as well.
- From his seat in exile at Rumtek, he had built a spiritual and worldly empire with millions of followers and extensive assets.
Synonyms
earthly, terrestrial, temporal, mundane, mortal, human, non-spiritual, unspiritual, material, materialistic, physical, tangible, carnal, fleshly, bodily, corporeal, gross, sensual, base, sordid, vile, profane;
secular, lay, non-church, non-religious
rare sublunary, terrene, laic
Phrases
worldly goods (or possessions or wealth)
Origin
Old English woruldlic (see world, -ly1).