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 top-down talent set a worldly tone that the dialogue-heavy, 2-hour 18-minute movie needs to hang together.
—
John Wenzel, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025
Parked nearby is a grocery cart filled with his worldly processions.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Cecile is worldly and has seen her share of sorrow, while Fanny has been cloistered in this elaborate old castle under the watchful eye of an over-protective mother and eccentric grandmother.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 23 Sep. 2025
In addition to being a formidable businessman, Armani is credited with breathing new life into menswear and creating a new system of dressing for women, marrying Italian leggerezza with worldly references (China was a frequent reference point) and becoming synonymous with timeless elegance.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worldly
John Wenzel, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025
Parked nearby is a grocery cart filled with his worldly processions.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Cecile is worldly and has seen her share of sorrow, while Fanny has been cloistered in this elaborate old castle under the watchful eye of an over-protective mother and eccentric grandmother.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 23 Sep. 2025
In addition to being a formidable businessman, Armani is credited with breathing new life into menswear and creating a new system of dressing for women, marrying Italian leggerezza with worldly references (China was a frequent reference point) and becoming synonymous with timeless elegance.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for worldly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worldly
Adjective
-
The Democratic Socialist's speech was peppered with an array of cosmopolitan references.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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Xi’s predecessor Jiang Zemin, who served as president between 1993 and 2003, was known for his flamboyant personality, cosmopolitan flair and willingness to show off his language skills and interact with journalists.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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The Incredibles films follow the daily lives of the Parr family, a household of superheroes trying to hide their powers while navigating a mundane life that occasionally beckons for more.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
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In recent months, part of that strategy has extended to agentic AI, which—when deployed at scale—is meant to handle routine, mundane tasks autonomously with little input from human employees.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
China launches its largest naval aircraft carrier China’s largest and most sophisticated aircraft carrier entered active service, the latest sign of Beijing’s growing naval might.—
Brendan Ruberry,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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When in doubt, cozy gifts are also a no-brainer option, from Olivia von Halle’s silky-and-sophisticated pajamas to the pricey yet worth-it Matteo Robe from Matouk.—
Footwear News,
Footwear News,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Without temporal permanence, hallucinations inherited from their past selves are accepted as true, and can begin to compound.—
Tharin Pillay,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The novella lacks the temporal markers that indicate how much time has passed between episodes and exhibits an abundance of characters with ruptured psyches.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Like terrestrial monsters, evil aliens are often stand-ins for real-life anxieties.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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Now, industry eyerolling at the thought of listening faster has existed since the majority of audio storytelling moved from terrestrial radio—where there’s no skipping, scrubbing forward or backward, and certainly no way to speed things up—to podcasting.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
So commences a night of harrowing encounters and trauma both physical and mental, starting with Ron and Mike’s trip to meet Oliver at a bar after one of his shows.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
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Perez does not break down training into physical and tactical work, instead designing complex exercises so players build fitness while practising real-game situations.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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That was one last flourish of self-laceration, and there is definitely a matching strain of masochism in Hopkins—not so much a relish of suffering as a rueful acknowledgment that earthly woe is our due.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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That was one last flourish of self-laceration, and there is definitely a matching strain of masochism in Hopkins—not so much a relish of suffering as a rueful acknowledgment that earthly woe is our due.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Worldly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worldly. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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