worldly

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world·ly

(wûrld′lē)

adj. world·li·er, world·li·est

1. Of, relating to, or devoted to the material world, especially in contrast to spiritual concerns.

2. Experienced in human affairs; sophisticated or worldly-wise: "an experienced and worldly man who had been almost everywhere" (Willa Cather).

adv.

In a worldly manner.

world′li·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

worldly

(ˈwɜːldlɪ)

adj, -lier or -liest

1. not spiritual; mundane or temporal

2. Also: worldly-minded absorbed in or concerned with material things or matters that are immediately relevant

3. Also: worldly-wise versed in the ways of the world; sophisticated

4. archaic existing on or relating to the earth

5. obsolete secular; lay

adv

archaic in a worldly manner

ˈworldliness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

world•ly

(ˈwɜrld li)

adj. -li•er, -li•est,
adv. adj.

1. of or pertaining to this world as contrasted with heaven, spiritual life, etc.; earthly; mundane.

2. experienced; knowing; sophisticated.

3. devoted to or connected with the material or sensual pleasures of this world: a worldly clergy; worldly temptations.

adv.

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

[before 900]

world′li•ness, n.

syn: See earthly.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Adj.	1.	worldly - characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world; "worldly goods and advancement"; "temporal possessions of the church" secular, temporal earthly - of or belonging to or characteristic of this earth as distinguished from heaven; "earthly beings"; "believed that our earthly life is all that matters"; "earthly love"; "our earthly home" profane, secular - not concerned with or devoted to religion; "sacred and profane music"; "secular drama"; "secular architecture", "children being brought up in an entirely profane environment" sophisticated - having or appealing to those having worldly knowledge and refinement and savoir-faire; "sophisticated young socialites"; "a sophisticated audience"; "a sophisticated lifestyle"; "a sophisticated book" unworldly - not concerned with the temporal world or swayed by mundane considerations; "was unworldly and did not greatly miss worldly rewards"- Sheldon Cheney
	2.	worldly - very sophisticated especially because of surfeit; versed in the ways of the world; "the blase traveler refers to the ocean he has crossed as `the pond'"; "the benefits of his worldly wisdom" blase sophisticated - having or appealing to those having worldly knowledge and refinement and savoir-faire; "sophisticated young socialites"; "a sophisticated audience"; "a sophisticated lifestyle"; "a sophisticated book"

worldly

adjective

1. earthly, lay, physical, fleshly, secular, mundane, terrestrial, temporal, carnal, profane, sublunary It is time you woke up and focused your thoughts on more worldly matters.
earthly heavenly, spiritual, divine, ethereal, immaterial, transcendental, unworldly, noncorporeal

2. materialistic, grasping, selfish, greedy, avaricious, covetous, worldly-minded He has repeatedly criticized Western churches as being too worldly.
materialistic moral, unworldly, nonmaterialistic

3. worldly-wise, knowing, experienced, politic, sophisticated, cosmopolitan, urbane, blasé, well versed in the ways of the world He was worldly and sophisticated, quite unlike me.
worldly-wise innocent, naive, unsophisticated, unworldly, ingenuous

Quotations
"Be wisely worldly, be not worldly wise" [Francis Quarles Emblems]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

worldly

adjective

1. Relating to or characteristic of the earth or of human life on earth:

earthbound, earthen, earthly, earthy, mundane, secular, tellurian, telluric, temporal, terrene, terrestrial.

2. Not religious in subject matter, form, or use:

lay, profane, secular, temporal.

3. Experienced in the ways of the world; lacking natural simplicity:

cosmopolitan, sophisticated, worldly-wise.

Translations

من هذا العالَم، دُنْيَوي، أرْضي

jordiskverdslig

weltlich

huppé mondain

világias

veraldlegur

terreno mondano pratico

dünyevîmaddî

世间的

worldly

[ˈwɜːldlɪ] ADJ (worldlier (compar) (worldliest (superl)))

1. (= material) [success, pleasures] → mundano, material
all my worldly goods → todos mis bienes materiales

2. (= experienced) → con (mucho) mundo
he was more worldly than other boys his age → tenía más mundo que otros muchachos de su edad
worldly wisdom → mundo m, saber m mundano

3. (= sophisticated) → sofisticado

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

worldly

[ˈwɜː^rldli] adj

(= earthly) [concerns, matters, interests] → terrestre
worldly things → les choses terrestres
one's worldly goods → ses biens terrestres

(= experienced) [person, manner] → rompu(e) aux usages du mondeworldly-wise [ˌwɜː^rldliˈwaɪz] adj → rompu(e) aux usages du monde
to be worldly-wise → connaître bien les usages du monde
She's very worldly-wise for her age → Elle connaît très bien les usages du monde malgré son jeune âge.world music n → world music fworld power n → puissance f mondialeworld record n → record m du monde
the world record holder → le détenteur du record du mondeworld scale n
on a world scale → à l'échelle mondialeWorld Series n (US) the World Series → le championnat national de baseballWorld Service n (British) service international de la BBCWorld title n → titre m mondialWorld Trade Organization n
the World Trade Organization → l'Organisation f mondiale du commerceworld view world-view [ˌwɜː^rldˈvjuː] n → vision f du mondeWorld War One n → la première guerre mondialeWorld War Two n → la seconde guerre mondialeworld-weary [ˌwɜː^rldˈwɪəri] adj → las de ce monde(lasse)worldwide world-wide [ˌwɜː^rldˈwaɪd]

adj → mondial(e)

adv (= all over the world) → dans le monde entierWorld Wide Web n
the World Wide Web → le Web

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

worldly

adj (+er)

(= material) success, ambition, wealth → materiell; worldly things → weltliche Dinge

→ weltlich; person → weltlich gesinnt; (= sophisticated) manner → weltmännisch; worldly innocence → Weltfremdheit f; worldly wisdom → Weltklugheit f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

worldly

[ˈwɜːldlɪ] adj (-ier (comp) (-iest (superl))) (matters, person) → mondano/a; (attitude, pleasures) → materiale

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

world

(wəːld) noun

1. the planet Earth. every country of the world.

2. the people who live on the planet Earth. The whole world is waiting for a cure for cancer.

3. any planet etc. people from other worlds.

4. a state of existence. Many people believe that after death the soul enters the next world; Do concentrate! You seem to be living in another world.

5. an area of life or activity. the insect world; the world of the international businessman.

6. a great deal. The holiday did him a/the world of good.

7. the lives and ways of ordinary people. He's been a monk for so long that he knows nothing of the (outside) world.

ˈworldly adjective

of or belonging to this world; not spiritual. worldly pleasures.

ˈworldliness noun

ˌworldˈwide adjective, adverb

(extending over or found) everywhere in the world. a worldwide sales network; Their products are sold worldwide.

World Wide WebWWWthe best of both worlds

the advantages of both the alternatives in a situation etc in which one can normally only expect to have one. A woman has the best of both worlds when she has a good job and a happy family life.

for all the world

exactly, quite etc. What a mess you're in! You look for all the world as if you'd had an argument with an express train.

out of this world

unbelievably marvellous. The concert was out of this world.

what in the world(?)

used for emphasis when asking a question. What in the world have you done to your hair?

References in classic literature ?

Mr Allworthy was not one of those men whose hearts flutter at any unexpected and sudden tidings of worldly profit.

View in context

With me, indeed, this question is one of sacred accountableness; whereas with my opponents, I have good reason to say that it is an occasion for gratifying a spirit of worldly opposition.

View in context

Let none of earth inherit That vision on my spirit; Those thoughts I would control As a spell upon his soul: For that bright hope at last And that light time have past, And my worldly rest hath gone With a sigh as it pass'd on I care not tho' it perish With a thought I then did cherish.

View in context

Argued with the jury on substantial worldly grounds--the only grounds ever worth taking into account-- it was a plain case, and had not a weak spot in it.

View in context

I entered through the convent gate: The abbot bade me welcome there, And in the court of silent dreams I lost the thread of worldly care.

View in context

But words cannot describe the feelings of his admirable mother, when she learned, very shortly after her noble husband's demise, that her son was a member of several worldly clubs, had lost largely at play at Wattier's and the Cocoa Tree; that he had raised money on post- obits, and encumbered the family estate; that he drove four-in-hand, and patronised the ring; and that he actually had an opera-box, where he entertained the most dangerous bachelor company.

View in context

The converts of this sect are oftener driven within its hospitable gates by worldly misfortune than drawn thither by fanaticism and are received without inquisition as to their motives.

View in context

From a letter of my great-grandmother's written to a stubborn daughter upon some unfilial behavior, like running away to be married, I suspect that she was fond of the high-colored fiction of her day, for she tells the wilful child that she has "planted a dagger in her mother's heart," and I should not be surprised if it were from this fine-languaged lady that my grandfather derived his taste for poetry rather than from his father, who was of a worldly wiser mind.

View in context

Dead Bartolomeo preached his pregnant sermon, and its burden was: You that worship the vanities of earth--you that long for worldly honor, worldly wealth, worldly fame--behold their worth!

View in context

Worldly wisdom may force them into widely different ways of life; worldly wisdom may delude them, or may make them delude themselves, into contracting an earthly and a fallible union.

View in context

There was a monk, a worldly man, fond of dress, fond of hunting, fond of a good dinner; and a friar even more worldly and pleasure-loving.

View in context

She was vexed, too, that from all she could learn of this connection it was not that brilliant, graceful, worldly liaison which she would have welcomed, but a sort of Wertherish, desperate passion, so she was told, which might well lead him into imprudence.