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 Cozy leather chairs, animal accents and Scottish elements like the Stewart family’s tartan make the space feel like a wise and worldly traveler’s home. Katie Sweeney, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025 Genre: Biographical drama Based on the true story of Christopher McCandless, Into the Wild is about a young man who gave up his worldly possessions to hitchhike across North America and eventually live in Alaska’s wilderness. Aislyn Greene, AFAR Media, 19 Feb. 2025 In a society cleaved into labor sellers and capital owners, every increase in workers’ hourly productivity tends to accelerate their worldly dispossession. Benjamin Kunkel, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025 What Ross, a worldly man, continued to resist at times was the world. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for worldly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worldly
Adjective
  • The restaurant's high-end interiors are infused with the cosmopolitan spirit of London and the rustic energy of Greece, with a mezzanine level adding airy drama and oversized Grecian-style urns and pots throughout.
    Nicole Trilivas, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
  • Whereas Gary and Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt were boyhood United fans who grew up loathing their rivals — and, in Gary Neville’s case, made no attempt to hide it — Liverpool’s squad in 2025 reflects the less tribal, more cosmopolitan outlook of the modern Premier League.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But where Apex’s movement is fast-paced and its ever-dwindling map size forces players together over time to ratchet up tension, Marathon feels slow and mundane by comparison.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2025
  • Yet managers and leaders often struggle with how to help their employees find more meaningful moments in their work, especially when the tasks they are assigned are boring, mundane and tedious.
    Rachel Pacheco, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • The key benefits of integration include: • Enhanced Threat Detection: By unifying security tools, organizations can achieve a holistic view of their threat landscape, enabling the identification of sophisticated attacks that might evade stand-alone systems.
    Bob Kruse, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • According to Google, zero-day exploits are becoming increasingly easy for threat actors to develop and procure, which has led to more sophisticated attacks.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Although the Inouye Solar Telescope began operating from its perch on the Hawaiian volcano Haleakala in 2022, the addition of its latest key piece of equipment provides a major boost to its spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution to the most powerful telescope of its kind in the world.
    Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 24 Apr. 2025
  • All the while, amid this cultural and temporal span, Moss has been stepping out in looks that speak to her expansive and most dominant role—as a style icon across multiple eras.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The European Space Agency (ESA) is two dozen steps closer to launching Plato, a spacecraft that will search for terrestrial planets outside of our solar system, after the installation of 24 of its 26 cameras.
    Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 8 May 2025
  • As their terrestrial cousins emerge onto land and risk desiccation, the axolotl remains in its aquatic stronghold, equipped with both juvenile features and regenerative powers that would make most vertebrates envious.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • That's according to researchers at the University of Missouri (Mizzou), who made a specific discovery about physical activity's brain benefits.
    Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Rather than bearing imagery of the state or the monarchy, Elisabeth’s portraits were focused on her defining physical features, particularly her long, flowing hair.
    Elizabeth Djinis, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The lower the figure of magnitude, the brighter the star and Sirius is one of only four stars seen from our earthly perspective with a negative magnitude (-1.45).
    Joe Rao, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Following a ceremony, the body is dressed in a white cassock – a long robe with 33 buttons, one for each year of the earthly life of Jesus.
    George Petras, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Worldly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worldly. Accessed 12 May. 2025.

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