worldly
pronunciation
How to pronounce worldly in British English:
UK [ˈwɜ:ldli]
How to pronounce worldly in American English:
US [ˈwɜrldli]
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- Adjective:
- characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world
- very sophisticated especially because of surfeit; versed in the ways of the world
- concerned with secular rather than sacred matters
Word Origin
- worldly (adj.)
- Old English woruldlic "earthly, secular," from the roots of world and like (adj.). A common Germanic compound (Old Frisian wraldlik, Old Saxon weroldlik, Middle Dutch wereldlik, German weltlich, Old Norse veraldligr). Worldly-wise is recorded from c. 1400.
Example
- 1. Worldly success and practising buddhism are not mutually exclusive .
- 2. Clergy : the least worldly are reported to be the happiest of all
- 3. Upon graduating from college , the son , now worldly and sophisticated , was embarrassed by his father 's antics .
- 4. Morandi 's spare , dreamlike works helped reinforce the myth that the artist was something of a zen monk , living at a remove from worldly demands and temptations .
- 5. With tastes growing more sophisticated and worldly , foreign book publishers have leapt at the opportunity to attract new readers among china 's growing middle class .