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
The couple were first romantically linked in 2020 and have publicly documented their relationship, worldly travels and White’s Olympic farewell on their social media pages ever since.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
The following day, Mercury will enter your worldly territory, sparking your curiosity and desire to express yourself more openly.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024
At Bennington College, Horowitz wrote fiction under the tutelage of Bernard Malamud and appraised his wealthy, worldly classmates.
—Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Read the full Pisces Daily Horoscope Aries (March 21 - April 19)
Expand your worldly connections!
—USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024
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Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
The following day, Mercury will enter your worldly territory, sparking your curiosity and desire to express yourself more openly.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024
At Bennington College, Horowitz wrote fiction under the tutelage of Bernard Malamud and appraised his wealthy, worldly classmates.
—Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Read the full Pisces Daily Horoscope Aries (March 21 - April 19)
Expand your worldly connections!
—USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for worldly
Dictionary Entries Near worldly
Cite this Entry
“Worldly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worldly. Accessed 22 Nov. 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
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