worldly
adjective
world·ly
ˈwər(-ə)ld-lē 
ˈwərl-lē
worldlier; worldliest
1
: of, relating to, or devoted to this world and its pursuits rather than to religion or spiritual affairs
worldly possessions/pleasures
Not for wealth, in its vulgar sense, had he ever sighed; not for the enjoyment of rich things had he ever longed; but for the allotted share of worldly bliss which a wife, and children, and happy home could give him …—
Anthony Trollope
Anthony TrollopeReligious fervor, which the crusaders had in spades, did not preclude or even hinder their worldly ambition.—Stephen O'Shea
Stephen O'Shea2
: possessing or displaying significant experience and knowledge about life and the world : worldly-wise
… a wealthy, fabulously successful gay businesswoman who blows stuff up and dispenses worldly wisdom in equal amounts.—Piers Marchant
Piers Marchant… took the occasion to impart a bit of worldly advice.—Erich Segal
Erich SegalThe essays collected here counterpose two groups of men: "the worldly men" of "covetous ambition," in the words of poet Henry King, and those whom they pushed aside in their scramble to the top.—Michael S. Kimmel
Michael S. Kimmel
worldliness
noun
Examples of worldly in a Sentence
She is more worldly than her younger sister.
she returned from her year as an exchange student a much more worldly person
Recent Examples on the Web
These ranges give beige southeastern Arizona a bouquet of otherworldly greenery, but with very worldly challenges.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024
The sun was setting, leaving a band of neon orange clinging to the horizon; around us, raffish cliques sipped esoteric cocktails, shared platters of roast chicken, flitted between languages, and seemed, to my eyes, immune to worldly stress.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2024
That was certainly the case Tuesday, as the Cannes jurors were peppered with questions relating to France’s resurgent #MeToo movement, the war in Gaza, and the threat of strikes disrupting the 77th festival, among other urgent worldly concerns.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
However, their bond is tested when Silvia, older and worldlier, enters their lives and captivates Diego.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 9 May 2024
Today the smartphone offers far more privacy and worldly adventure.
—Gary S. Cross, Fortune, 8 May 2024
This — along with the unusual premise of celibate ascetics taking on the challenge of worldly romance — has given the Buddhist version its own viral fame, which the foundation hoped to maximize by opening it to the press.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
In his world view, doomed romanticism isn’t an oxymoron but a tautology: to experience love deep within one’s bones comes at the cost of one’s earthly comforts and worldly aspirations, even one’s life.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
Jupiter: Long-distance travel, abundance, worldly inspiration, exploration, and luck.
—Lisa Stardust, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024
The sun was setting, leaving a band of neon orange clinging to the horizon; around us, raffish cliques sipped esoteric cocktails, shared platters of roast chicken, flitted between languages, and seemed, to my eyes, immune to worldly stress.
—David Amsden, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2024
That was certainly the case Tuesday, as the Cannes jurors were peppered with questions relating to France’s resurgent #MeToo movement, the war in Gaza, and the threat of strikes disrupting the 77th festival, among other urgent worldly concerns.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
However, their bond is tested when Silvia, older and worldlier, enters their lives and captivates Diego.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 9 May 2024
Today the smartphone offers far more privacy and worldly adventure.
—Gary S. Cross, Fortune, 8 May 2024
This — along with the unusual premise of celibate ascetics taking on the challenge of worldly romance — has given the Buddhist version its own viral fame, which the foundation hoped to maximize by opening it to the press.
—Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
In his world view, doomed romanticism isn’t an oxymoron but a tautology: to experience love deep within one’s bones comes at the cost of one’s earthly comforts and worldly aspirations, even one’s life.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024
Jupiter: Long-distance travel, abundance, worldly inspiration, exploration, and luck.
—Lisa Stardust, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'worldly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near worldly
Cite this Entry
“Worldly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worldly. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
worldly
adjective
world·ly
ˈwər(-ə)l-dlē
ˈwərl-lē
1
: of, relating to, or concerned with the affairs of this world rather than with spiritual affairs
2
worldliness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share