Synonym Chooser

How is the word worldly distinct from other similar adjectives?

The words earthly and mundane are common synonyms of worldly. While all three words mean "belonging to or characteristic of the earth," worldly and mundane both imply a relation to the immediate concerns and activities of human beings, worldly suggesting tangible personal gain or gratification.

worldly goods

When could earthly be used to replace worldly?

Although the words earthly and worldly have much in common, earthly often implies a contrast with what is heavenly or spiritual.

abandoned earthly concerns and entered a convent

In what contexts can mundane take the place of worldly?

While in some cases nearly identical to worldly, mundane suggests reference to the immediate and practical.

a mundane discussion of finances

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of worldly As Markle's version of Goop, The Tig was about living a worldly life, broadening your horizons, and aspiring for beauty and wellness in the everyday. Alanna Bennett, refinery29.com, 14 Mar. 2025 The breakfast buffet, too, is just as worldly: the bountiful help-yourself spread of arepas, empanadas, smoked salmon, baba ganoush, fresh fruit, and more is the perfect way to fuel up for a day of exploring. Katie Chang, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025 One’s personal changes, made through prayer and fasting, must come first before fixing other worldly problems, Wenski said. Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2025 His own systematic thinking and interest in the workings of worldly power led him to become a conservative Catholic. George Packer, The Atlantic, 27 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for worldly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worldly
Adjective
  • Less than 15 miles from Rome, Ostia Antica was once a bustling cosmopolitan seaport at the mouth of the Tiber River, where many Mediterranean cultures mingled.
    Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The city has a layered academic landscape—including JWU, Brown University, University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island School of Design and Providence College—which Wesen says contributes to a cosmopolitan environment where cultural diversity is celebrated through food.
    Jill Barth, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Most capture mundane experiences, impressive in their hyperrealistic way, but some are sublime, or surreal, or place you in a morally challenging position.
    Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The first 1% improvement starts with embracing the mundane: patching and updating.
    Morey Haber, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • In a world of increasingly frequent and sophisticated digital threats, the loss of cybersecurity personnel could weaken America’s defenses against ransomware, espionage, and infrastructure disruption.
    Solange Charas, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
  • The engagement algorithms for such platforms are vastly less sophisticated than the ones that will be deployed in agentic A.I.
    Jaron Lanier, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Taking a broader temporal view of the crypto industry's evolution, of the over 24,000 cryptocurrencies listed on CoinGecko since 2014 to the end of 2023, over 50% have died.
    Max (Chong) Li, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
  • From there on out, the film takes a couple of major swings in the realm of its timeline — a strange temporal unfurling — as well as the seeming motives behind A.J. and Isaac’s arrival, and Camille’s readiness to host them alongside a friend who clearly needs some alone time.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Its civil servants have a track record of working fifty-to-sixty-hour weeks, based on spacecraft trajectories rather than terrestrial clocks.
    David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Whatever terrestrial fare, it’s bound to be different from what is available on the ISS, around 200 miles or more above the surface of the Earth.
    NBC News, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The physical altercation happened earlier this month at Wallace Middle School in Waterbury, Connecticut.
    Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Starting June 1, 2025, a 12% VAT will apply to digital services consumed within the Philippines, even if the provider does not have a physical presence in the country.
    Aleksandra Bal, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This seems rather an understatement to your correspondent., for the style, substance, silhouettes and scintillation of Anaïs C. jewels embody an earthly yet mystical mix of sustainably sourced, precious gemstones inside of primal jewelry forms.
    Kyle Roderick, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Now there is a new wave of missions—some crashing into the moon or missing entirely, but earthly technology is advancing and there have been some major successes.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 24 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Worldly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worldly. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.

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