as in sophisticated
having a wide and refined knowledge of the world especially from personal experience
her long career as a globe-trotting journalist has made her very worldly-wise
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of worldly-wise
Crucially, they are grounded in real-world experiences, from a recent exchange with worldly-wise restaurant waitresses in Bordeaux exemplifying trust and collaboration, to the coaching of top CEOs over the past 20 years.
—
Hec Paris Insights, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Heather Alicia Simms and Vanessa Bell Calloway are both sharp, witty, and poignant without sentimentality as the play’s two matriarchal figures, the formidable Missy Judson and Idella Landy, the wry, worldly-wise housekeeper who essentially raised Charlie.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 June 2024
Parroni does a good job of balancing the way that adolescents veer from experimenting with a worldly-wise cynicism and dipping back into the wildness of childhood.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023
Hec Paris Insights, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Heather Alicia Simms and Vanessa Bell Calloway are both sharp, witty, and poignant without sentimentality as the play’s two matriarchal figures, the formidable Missy Judson and Idella Landy, the wry, worldly-wise housekeeper who essentially raised Charlie.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 June 2024
Parroni does a good job of balancing the way that adolescents veer from experimenting with a worldly-wise cynicism and dipping back into the wildness of childhood.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worldly-wise
Adjective
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Designer Rosanna Bossom and new owner Tara MacBain have blended a sophisticated touch with the exuberance of the 1970s in what was once a sort of gentlemen’s club, and that is now open to everyone, with an alfresco terrace emphasizing its unwavering attachment to the neighborhood.—
Jim Dobson,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
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With a clean ring pattern in a range of sophisticated colors, these sets achieve a summer-ready trifecta: crisp, cool, and utterly transportive.—
Shoko Wanger,
Architectural Digest,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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The Geneva–Lausanne region offers a unique blend of access to alpine adventure, lakeside leisure and cosmopolitan living.—
Lysanne Currie,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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But Howard notes even this was part of turning sections of a city into public, cosmopolitan spaces that incorporated both people of different social status and ideas from around the world.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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Is the love of Jesus a substitute for or a complement to the worldly desire for male authority?—
Merve Emre,
New Yorker,
17 June 2025
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The impression is that whether behind a desk or the wheel of a plummeting airplane, Korda is a worldly man of action.—
Thomas Page,
CNN Money,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Worldly-wise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worldly-wise. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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