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 Easton’s a peerless listener and lively raconteur, both curious and worldly. Matt Thompson, SPIN, 3 Feb. 2025 With a world of collectors trying to acquire it from him, his minimalism evaporates as protecting his worldly attachment to it becomes his sole focus. Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2025 In a transfixing performance that balances colorful affectation with raw hunger, the actor makes Lee a magnetic raconteur whose shield of worldly composure falls away as Eugene (Drew Starkey) eludes his grasp, leaving him a virtual ghost by the end of the film. Kimberly Nordyke, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Jan. 2025 Bruce Willis is great in the lead role, his stoicism balanced by a fun performance from Samuel L. Jackson as his worldly opposite. Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 3 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for worldly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worldly
Adjective
  • Milan is a cosmopolitan city — someone who has lived here for a month is already Milanese.
    Martino Carrera, WWD, 17 Feb. 2025
  • To some initial consternation, a Texan actor named Renée Zellweger is cast as the UK’s essential heroine, a character who, by then, is already globally understood to be a byword for contemporary, cosmopolitan womanhood.
    Hugh Grant, Vogue, 14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • At the century-old Souk Waqif here, dozens of watch repairmen spend their days maintaining luxury timepieces and doing more mundane jobs like replacing the batteries in digital watches.
    David Belcher, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2025
  • In traditional dictatorships, critics are often charged with crimes such as sedition, treason, or plotting insurrection, but contemporary autocrats tend to prosecute critics for more mundane offenses, such as corruption, tax evasion, defamation, and even minor violations of arcane rules.
    STEVEN LEVITSKY, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • The Swiss skincare import creates sophisticated formulations featuring pure alpine ingredients from high altitude plants and Triple DNA, a patented marine DNA extract that deeply hydrates and boosts cell renewal.
    Bea McMonagle, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
  • The military's main findings were that the region's most powerful and sophisticated military misread Hamas' intentions, underestimated its capabilities and was wholly unprepared for the surprise attack by thousands of heavily armed militants in the early morning hours of a major Jewish holiday.
    MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH, WAFAA SHURAFA, NATALIE MELZER AND TIA GOLDENBERG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, arkansasonline.com, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • By effectively transferring knowledge from freely available visual and language data, Magma bridges verbal, spatial, and temporal intelligence to navigate complex tasks and settings.
    Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 20 Feb. 2025
  • His work as a filmmaker includes Animal Room with Neil Patrick Harris, Perkins 14, Dark Ride, A Good Night to Die which premiered at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival and the 2021 temporal horror film 6:45.
    Greg Evans, Deadline, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The researchers assume that the meteoritic iron came from a local meteorite fall, and the recovered material was mixed with terrestrial ore.
    David Bressan, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
  • Available from: The University of California Press, or various online and terrestrial bookstores and libraries.
    New York Times, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Its most significant physical feature is a segmented tread protruding from its back, and extending to the front of its face.
    Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The lack of adequate WASH facilities has also disproportionately affected women and girls by interfering with basic menstrual hygiene, harming their mental and physical health.
    Lesley Joseph, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • How has Max died and why is his spirit anchored on the earthly plane?
    Marie-Helene Bertino, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2025
  • That’s an awful lot of earthly real estate, but when the asteroid becomes visible again and draws closer to us, a much more precise ground-zero could be determined.
    Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Worldly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worldly. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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