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 Easton’s a peerless listener and lively raconteur, both curious and worldly. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 3 Feb. 2025 With a world of collectors trying to acquire it from him, his minimalism evaporates as protecting his worldly attachment to it becomes his sole focus. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2025 In a transfixing performance that balances colorful affectation with raw hunger, the actor makes Lee a magnetic raconteur whose shield of worldly composure falls away as Eugene (Drew Starkey) eludes his grasp, leaving him a virtual ghost by the end of the film. Kimberly Nordyke, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2025 Bruce Willis is great in the lead role, his stoicism balanced by a fun performance from Samuel L. Jackson as his worldly opposite. Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for worldly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worldly
Adjective
  • Milan is a cosmopolitan city — someone who has lived here for a month is already Milanese.
    Martino Carrera, WWD, 17 Feb. 2025
  • To some initial consternation, a Texan actor named Renée Zellweger is cast as the UK’s essential heroine, a character who, by then, is already globally understood to be a byword for contemporary, cosmopolitan womanhood.
    Hugh Grant, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • At the century-old Souk Waqif here, dozens of watch repairmen spend their days maintaining luxury timepieces and doing more mundane jobs like replacing the batteries in digital watches.
    David Belcher, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
  • In traditional dictatorships, critics are often charged with crimes such as sedition, treason, or plotting insurrection, but contemporary autocrats tend to prosecute critics for more mundane offenses, such as corruption, tax evasion, defamation, and even minor violations of arcane rules.
    STEVEN LEVITSKY, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The straight-leg silhouette and ankle length give these pants a sophisticated style that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.
    Genevieve Cepeda, Travel + Leisure, 16 Feb. 2025
  • After all, the implications of a sophisticated A.I. system acting as copilot raise serious questions—such as, will it second-guess or even stop the human pilot from flying if the computer perceives an imminent emergency, which may or may not exist?
    Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • By effectively transferring knowledge from freely available visual and language data, Magma bridges verbal, spatial, and temporal intelligence to navigate complex tasks and settings.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 20 Feb. 2025
  • His work as a filmmaker includes Animal Room with Neil Patrick Harris, Perkins 14, Dark Ride, A Good Night to Die which premiered at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival and the 2021 temporal horror film 6:45.
    Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Before the internet, the methods of finding new sounds were decentralized and not equally accessible: terrestrial radio, cable television, music magazines, cool older sisters.
    Brad Shoup, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2025
  • There are no good answers yet, though, and rushing with undue haste to Mars could result in shortcuts being taken that could greatly increase the risk of contaminating Mars with terrestrial microbes.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 3 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Regular mindfulness practices may improve your ability to cope with the physical and emotional challenges of menopause, including hot flashes.78 Practicing mindfulness can involve yoga, meditation, or even just noticing your breath or the sights and sounds around you at any moment.9 4.
    Sarah Jividen, Health, 15 Feb. 2025
  • Some of the Israeli hostages who have returned since January 19 have reported being deprived of food, held in tunnels for months and not seeing daylight, and being subjected to physical and psychological abuse.
    Nidal al-Mughrabi, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • How has Max died and why is his spirit anchored on the earthly plane?
    Marie-Helene Bertino, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
  • That’s an awful lot of earthly real estate, but when the asteroid becomes visible again and draws closer to us, a much more precise ground-zero could be determined.
    Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Worldly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worldly. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

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