worldly

B2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈwɜː(ɹ)ldli/ See IPA manual

Freq #14268

Meanings

1

adj
Concerned with ordinary life and material things rather than with religion or the spirit.

He gave away all his worldly goods and entered the monastery.
2

adj
Experienced and sophisticated about how life and people really work.

She was far more worldly than the other students in her year.
3

adv
In a way that concerns ordinary life rather than the spirit.

He spoke worldly of money and ambition, never of faith.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · concerned with ordinary... secular material earthly temporal mundane

2 adj · experienced and... sophisticatedstreet-smartblase

3 adv · in a way that concerns... secularlyunspiritually

Word family

Forms worldlierworldliestworldliness

Related forms old-worldly

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

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”).

worldly Middle English woruldlīċ Old English *weraldilīkaz Proto-Germanic

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Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# worldly

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** adj, adv
**IPA (US):** /ˈwɜː(ɹ)ldli/
**Frequency rank:** 14268

## Meanings
1. Concerned with ordinary life and material things rather than with religion or the spirit.
2. Experienced and sophisticated about how life and people really work.
3. In a way that concerns ordinary life rather than the spirit.

## Examples
- He gave away all his worldly goods and entered the monastery.
- She was far more worldly than the other students in her year.
- He spoke worldly of money and ambition, never of faith.

## Related Forms
- old-worldly

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: worldly
- Root: woruldlīċ
- Root: *weraldilīkaz

## 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”).

## AI Etymology
Worldly is 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”). In present-day use, it can mean concerned with ordinary life and material things rather than with religion or the spirit, or experienced and sophisticated about how life and people really work.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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