1
as in cosmopolitan
having a wide and refined knowledge of the world especially from personal experience
she returned from her year as an exchange student a much more worldly person
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mundane
having to do with life on earth especially as opposed to that in heaven
preoccupied with worldly concerns
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of worldly
The real wrench in her life, however, comes with the arrival of worldly siblings Mary (Embeth Davidtz) and Henry Crawford (Alessandra Nivola), especially when Fanny's uncle tries to marry her off to Henry.
—
Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
All our worldly comforts are now at stake.
—ABC News, 16 Nov. 2025
The Day Zero team comprises of incredibly talented people who connect in a very special way once a year in Mexico to create an other-worldly experience.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 12 Nov. 2025
Forces of good and evil collide in a terrifying film where real-world challenges crash headlong into other worldly creatures and myths.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worldly
Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
All our worldly comforts are now at stake.
—ABC News, 16 Nov. 2025
The Day Zero team comprises of incredibly talented people who connect in a very special way once a year in Mexico to create an other-worldly experience.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 12 Nov. 2025
Forces of good and evil collide in a terrifying film where real-world challenges crash headlong into other worldly creatures and myths.
—Justin Kroll, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worldly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worldly
Adjective
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As The History Blog described, the Tang Society was cosmopolitan and diverse because of the existence of the Silk Road.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
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But now the smallest cosmopolitan city in the world—as the community of 58,000 inhabitants describes itself—is reinventing itself.—
CNT Editors,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Most cops have hero dreams, protector fantasies that sustain them through days that are mostly mundane.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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Big fantastical ones, but also ones that feel so normalized and mundane and get extrapolated to their most dystopian and absurd.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Meanwhile, the shoulder pads add structure to the piece, creating a sophisticated look and a balanced shape from top to bottom.—
Irene Richardson,
InStyle,
14 Jan. 2026
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This merengue caraqueño, defined by its sophisticated 5/8 rhythm, serves as a master class in Venezuelan identity, acting as a cultural anchor that prevents the nation’s heritage from being swallowed by the ongoing crisis.—
Leonor C. Suárez,
Rolling Stone,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The researchers were trying to test a concept known as temporal discontinuity, in which a brief amount of time passes between the introduction of an item and the assignment of its name.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Jan. 2026
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Of course, school felt like a temporal abyss for a lot of young people, especially those who were violently singled out for their differences.—
Alex Jovanovich,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Howard Stern, then a rising shock jock on terrestrial radio, went all in, calling for Goetz to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
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The other factor is the origin of the organic material itself—marine plants are more likely to become oil, whereas terrestrial plants are more likely to become gas.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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As a pattern of intimidation, isolation, humiliation and controlling behavior, coercive control can be as damaging as physical abuse.—
Oona Metz,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
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Felton’s confessions, both to his father and to police, were corroborated by location data and physical evidence, the complaint says.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This was his Leviathan, an earthly sovereign power that humans rationally create to escape the chaos of the state of nature.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2026
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Sátántangó’s desolate landscapes, dominated by mud, wind, and overcast skies, summoned a vision of earthly purgatory unrivaled in almost all of cinema.—
Tim Grierson,
Rolling Stone,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worldly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worldly. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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