worldly

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world

   worldly goods and advancement

2. 2
   adj

   Concerned with human or earthly matters, physical as opposed to spiritual.

   1868, Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, Part Two, Chapter Twenty-four: Gossip, These attributes, in spite of poverty and the strict integrity which shut him out from the more worldly successes, attracted to him many admirable persons, as naturally as sweet herbs draw bees, and as naturally he gave them the honey into which fifty years of hard experience had distilled no bitter drop.

3. 3
   adj

   Sophisticated, especially because of surfeit; versed in the ways of the world.

   Homer and Marge have to try to explain things to children who are too worldly to fall for most excuses, the explanation trails off, and what could be a pleasant family outing to solve it all turns out to be yet another excuse for self-involvement when one public humiliation doesn’t outweigh the joys of getting busy in a windmill.

4. 4
   adj

   very sophisticated especially because of surfeit

5. 5
   adj

   Concerned with secular rather than sacred matters.

6. 6
   adv

   In a worldly manner.

Etymology

From Middle English worldly, worldlich, wordly (adjective), from Old English woruldlīċ, worldlīċ, weoroldlīċ (“worldly; earthly; temporal; mundane; secular”), from Proto-Germanic *weraldilīkaz, equivalent to world + -ly. Cognate with Dutch wereldlijk (“worldly; secular”), German Low German weltlik (“worldly”), German weltlich (“worldly”), Danish verdslig (“worldly”), Swedish världslig (“worldly”), Icelandic veraldlegur (“worldly; secular”).