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
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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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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
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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
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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
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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
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This new reading revises not only the phrases quoted in the sermon, but also the entire Song of Wade, centering the hero amid worldly dangers rather than mythical beasts.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
18 July 2025
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Housed at Doctor Who and Industry producer Bad Wolf, Game of Thrones star Varma and Richard Coyle (Heads of State) are set as Mr and Mrs Gardiner, Mary’s worldly aunt and uncle.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Worldly-wise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worldly-wise. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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