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 Morrison is 32 now — older, wiser, a lot more worldly than the kid who got into trouble, ended up in court and left Old Trafford without fulfilling that rare potential. Daniel Taylor, New York Times, 6 June 2025 While this town certainly feels quaint, its worldly dishes, celebrated galleries, and specialty shops attract visitors in the South and beyond. Brennan Long, Southern Living, 11 July 2025 Concluding Thought Since a personal guarantee is a pledge of all one's worldly non-exempt assets to back the underlying loan, a personal guarantee is basically a financial noose that one puts their head into and then waits to see if the trapdoor opens. Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025 With offices in Miami and Lago Bracciano, Italy, designer Sam Robin brings a worldly perspective to her projects, which include residences, hotels, restaurants, and even private planes. Dan Howarth, Architectural Digest, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for worldly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worldly
Adjective
  • The keyboardist and singer-songwriter began his career in bossa nova, but quickly took flight and developed a deeply personal, cosmopolitan musical language of his own.
    Thania Garcia, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
  • In 2025, the ninth festival edition celebrated the cosmopolitan spirit of Mexico City with an exceptional lineup of chefs joining the resort’s host chefs, Pablo Hildebrando and Mario Rodríguez.
    Claudia Alarcón, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • His real talent seemed to be inferring some of the more mundane details of my life.
    Webb Wright, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2025
  • Many people worry that AI will one day overthrow and destroy us, but many more worry about the mundane eventualities of ongoing AI integration.
    Christian Perry, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • In addition to his famous perpetual calendar, Klaus also developed split-second, world time, depth gauge, and other sophisticated mechanisms culminating in the Il Destriero Scafusia in 1993, then the world’s most complicated wristwatch.
    Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Nearly three decades later, Daft Punk arguably upped the ante with its sophisticated synthesizer opus for the franchise’s second film, 2010’s Tron: Legacy, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
    Joe Lynch, Billboard, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Drifting between moving-image formats and collaging local textures and bygone voices, Oscar Ruiz Navia’s film reflects on loss and mourning as experiences of temporal dislocation.
    Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Without temporal intelligence, scale becomes noise.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The researchers used data from a suite of four NASA satellites to analyze changes in terrestrial water storage over the past 22 years.
    Denise Chow, NBC news, 25 July 2025
  • The Underground Carbon Crisis Mycorrhizal fungi form vast underground networks that connect and sustain over 90% of all terrestrial plant species, channelling nutrients, supporting food systems, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience.
    Felicia Jackson, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
Adjective
  • The patient’s physical condition eventually normalized and his psychotic symptoms subsided during his three-week hospital stint.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
  • The new species was identified by its scale pattern, skeleton, jaws, body proportions and other subtle physical features, the study said.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • It was once widely believed throughout Europe that stars produced an ethereal fluid that somehow influenced earthly affairs.
    Martha Barnette August 6, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Because his reality emerges from fiction, Musk is untethered from any sense of earthly constraints.
    Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 28 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Worldly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worldly. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

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