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
Channels the inner, bestial urges to release an unworldly howl that pushes back any nearby enemies.
—
Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
He is known for pioneering overuse of the Auto-Tune effect, giving his vocals an unworldly quality.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2025
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
Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
He is known for pioneering overuse of the Auto-Tune effect, giving his vocals an unworldly quality.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unworldly
Adjective
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The Guerida line nodding to private estate La Querida and its white façades, emerald green lawns and ocean views offered a more naïve take on the colored theme by mean of hearts and floral motifs juxtaposed in a ring, bracelet and pendant earrings.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
10 Oct. 2025
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Even when their views are naive or ill-considered, protesters are among the minority of people willing to take risks and devote time and energy to the pursuit of a better world.—
Christopher L. Eisgruber,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Legendary Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio (The Traitor, Kidnapped) directed and co-wrote the six-episode series, which tells the story of the downfall and imprisonment of popular TV host Enzo Tortora, an innocent man.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Oct. 2025
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Ryan Clark, Pat McAfee and Scott Van Pelt gave strong reactions to the evidence that attempted to prove Kyren Lacy innocent of allegedly causing a fatal wreck last year.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Strufe adds that while intelligence agencies or cybercriminals have simpler ways to monitor people – such as accessing CCTV cameras or video doorbells – the widespread presence of wireless networks could eventually form a near-comprehensive surveillance infrastructure.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Oct. 2025
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The simplest way to find influential people in a network is called degree centrality—just count the number of connections for each person.—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Injuries have swept through the league, and inexperienced or ill-fitting players have been forced into service as special-teams blockers.—
J.J. Bailey,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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Scaloni, whose team finished in first place in South American World Cup qualifying, was using Friday’s match, and the Tuesday match against Puerto Rico at Chase Stadium, to integrate some of the younger and inexperienced players on the roster.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Mules on the towpath along the canal could pull a heavy barge at a clip of 4 miles per hour – far faster than the job of dragging wagons over primitive roads.—
Christine Keiner,
The Conversation,
15 Oct. 2025
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This is the first direct chemical proof that some of the primitive planet’s material survived the giant impact that formed the Earth and Moon.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Commenting on Taiwan’s possible nuclear options, Jusen Asuka, a professor at Tohoku University and chair of the session in the conference, cautioned that SMRs remain immature and costly, and investing heavily in them could slow renewable energy development.—
Yu-Tzu Chiu,
IEEE Spectrum,
2 Oct. 2025
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In some cases, these are labelled as muscular injuries but Monasterio warns players at these ages are still skeletally immature in these regions.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unworldly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unworldly. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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