the way/ways of the world
noun phrase
: how things happen or how people behave
Success comes easier for some people. That's just the way of the world.
Because he was young and inexperienced in the ways of the world, people were able to take advantage of him.
Examples of the way/ways of the world in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
All these hyperbolic and chaotic doings are portrayed as just the way of the world, and the seeming disorder of Harry’s life comes off as the natural order of things.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2023
Dutiful sons often revere their fathers for their instruction in the ways of the world—by direction and indirection, sterling example and train wreck.
—Edward Kosner, WSJ, 5 May 2022
What remains out of grasp is the not knowing, the wondrous ignorance about the ways of the world.
—Hazlitt, 12 Dec. 2022
His daughter wasn’t well versed in the ways of the world.
—Kerry Howley, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2022
The day came, however, for the son to learn the ways of the world, and his father gave him that part of his education.
—Caren Schnur Neile, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2022
The two fostered a relatable brotherly chemistry; as Wally, Dow helped younger brother Beaver understand the ways of the world and charmed viewers with memorable one-liners.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2022
Some people have fangs and like to bite other people—that’s the way of the world.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023
But Jünger—like the narrator and his brother in the novel—faced the facts with equanimity: such was the way of the world.
—Thomas Meaney, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Feb. 2023
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Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2023
Dutiful sons often revere their fathers for their instruction in the ways of the world—by direction and indirection, sterling example and train wreck.
—Edward Kosner, WSJ, 5 May 2022
What remains out of grasp is the not knowing, the wondrous ignorance about the ways of the world.
—Hazlitt, 12 Dec. 2022
His daughter wasn’t well versed in the ways of the world.
—Kerry Howley, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2022
The day came, however, for the son to learn the ways of the world, and his father gave him that part of his education.
—Caren Schnur Neile, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2022
The two fostered a relatable brotherly chemistry; as Wally, Dow helped younger brother Beaver understand the ways of the world and charmed viewers with memorable one-liners.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2022
Some people have fangs and like to bite other people—that’s the way of the world.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023
But Jünger—like the narrator and his brother in the novel—faced the facts with equanimity: such was the way of the world.
—Thomas Meaney, Harper’s Magazine , 16 Feb. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the way/ways of the world.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“The way/ways of the world.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20way%2Fways%20of%20the%20world. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
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