worldly-wise

adjective

world·​ly-wise ˈwərl(d)-lē-ˌwīz 

variants or less commonly worldly wise

: possessing a practical and often shrewd understanding of human affairs : worldly sense 2

She was pure but practical, idealistic but worldly-wise.

—Andy Levin

It's a photographic exhibition, pulling together an exceptionally diverse range of works, from the obvious to some which may surprise the most worldly-wise of old souls.

—Ian Mansfield

Mabel [Loomis Todd] is quite a woman—complex, resilient, worldly wise, smart and way ahead of her time …

—Nancye Tuttle

Olympia Dukakis, the self-assured, raspy-voiced actress who often played world-weary and worldly wise characters …

—Anita Gates

Synonyms of worldly-wise

• sophisticated
• cosmopolitan
• worldly

Choose the Right Synonym for worldly-wise

sophisticated, worldly-wise, blasé mean experienced in the ways of the world.

sophisticated often implies refinement, urbanity, cleverness, and cultivation.

guests at her salon were usually rich and sophisticated

worldly-wise suggests a close and practical knowledge of the affairs and manners of society and an inclination toward materialism.

a worldly-wise woman with a philosophy of personal independence

blasé implies a lack of responsiveness to common joys as a result of a real or affected surfeit of experience and cultivation.

blasé travelers who claimed to have been everywhere

Examples of worldly-wise in a Sentence

her long career as a globe-trotting journalist has made her very worldly-wise

Recent Examples on the Web

Crucially, they are grounded in real-world experiences, from a recent exchange with worldly-wise restaurant waitresses in Bordeaux exemplifying trust and collaboration, to the coaching of top CEOs over the past 20 years. — Hec Paris Insights, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024

Parroni does a good job of balancing the way that adolescents veer from experimenting with a worldly-wise cynicism and dipping back into the wildness of childhood. — Catherine Bray, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for worldly-wise

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

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Kids Definition

worldly-wise

adjective

world·​ly-wise

ˈwərl-dlē-ˌwīz, 

-lē-

: wise as to things and ways of this world