as in naive
lacking in worldly wisdom or informed judgment
the guy's unworldly enough to think that any stranger who would approach him on a city street is simply trying to help him
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Recent Examples of unworldly
The movie then flashes back to reveal the unworldly events of the day before.
—
Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 19 Apr. 2025
While there are countless superhero stories flooding the TV landscape, Emma Moran's Extraordinary soars with its down-to-earth, Boys-esque twist, where being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be and unworldly abilities aren't just devices for destruction.
—Alex Galbraith, EW.com, 24 Sep. 2024
Buruma, who excels at setting a rather unworldly man in the public life of his time, describes how, in 1672, a mob in The Hague lynched Johan and Cornelis de Witt, brothers who had led the Netherlands’ liberal regime during what is now remembered as the Dutch Golden Age.
—Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
Lucky for them, Vegas is an unworldly place.
—Mark Gray, Peoplemag, 29 Nov. 2022
After leaving his rural village for Paris, Lucien befriends another writer, Etienne (Vincent Lacoste), who introduces his unworldly protege to an exciting cadre of liberal journalists — including a publisher played by Gérard Depardieu — who regularly attack the royalist government.
—Pat Padua, Washington Post, 28 June 2022
The Nets are putting their hopes in a player who has an unworldly skill set for someone his height and was challenging LeBron James for the title of the game's best player, and a coach who is creative, highly intelligent, team-driven and competitive as hell.
—Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 3 Dec. 2020
And there the journey entered an unworldly realm.
—F. Salazar, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2020
From the beginning, Monroe’s contemporaries understood her unworldly charm to be accidental, and tied to a supposed infantile nature.
—Sophie Lewis, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 19 Apr. 2025
While there are countless superhero stories flooding the TV landscape, Emma Moran's Extraordinary soars with its down-to-earth, Boys-esque twist, where being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be and unworldly abilities aren't just devices for destruction.
—Alex Galbraith, EW.com, 24 Sep. 2024
Buruma, who excels at setting a rather unworldly man in the public life of his time, describes how, in 1672, a mob in The Hague lynched Johan and Cornelis de Witt, brothers who had led the Netherlands’ liberal regime during what is now remembered as the Dutch Golden Age.
—Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
Lucky for them, Vegas is an unworldly place.
—Mark Gray, Peoplemag, 29 Nov. 2022
After leaving his rural village for Paris, Lucien befriends another writer, Etienne (Vincent Lacoste), who introduces his unworldly protege to an exciting cadre of liberal journalists — including a publisher played by Gérard Depardieu — who regularly attack the royalist government.
—Pat Padua, Washington Post, 28 June 2022
The Nets are putting their hopes in a player who has an unworldly skill set for someone his height and was challenging LeBron James for the title of the game's best player, and a coach who is creative, highly intelligent, team-driven and competitive as hell.
—Duane Rankin, The Arizona Republic, 3 Dec. 2020
And there the journey entered an unworldly realm.
—F. Salazar, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2020
From the beginning, Monroe’s contemporaries understood her unworldly charm to be accidental, and tied to a supposed infantile nature.
—Sophie Lewis, Harper’s Magazine , 26 Oct. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unworldly
Adjective
-
But that thinking is naive and sorely mistaken, says social scientist Michael Flood, who's at Queensland University of Technology in Australia.—
Michaeleen Doucleff,
NPR,
30 Apr. 2025
-
The Canadian election result cautions against the Fortress North America concept, at once so domineering and so naive.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Students are expected to clear the house – shoot the bad guys and spare the innocent.—
William La Jeunesse,
FOXNews.com,
2 May 2025
-
As someone who has grazed their display in the most innocent of gestures repeatedly over the years, scratch-resistance is high on my wishlist.—
David Phelan,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Even something as simple as hanging your own art on the walls or sharing a project online will work.—
Meghan Rose,
Glamour,
1 May 2025
-
Murder victim's family has been 'counting down the minutes' until South Carolina execution Texas pastor with simple dream killed in his own church.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
-
Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Adjective
-
This doesn’t sound like their mess to clean up, and just sounds a bit immature/entitled.—
Latoya Gayle,
People.com,
26 Apr. 2025
-
Children and adults pick up an avalanche of unreliable information on social media, and children may process it with immature judgment.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unworldly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unworldly. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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