Meaning

3 senses

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

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

  2. Concerned with secular rather than sacred matters.

    weltlich, weltlich

    мирско́йmirskój, земно́йzemnój, су́етныйsújetnyj

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

    weltgewandt, weltmännisch

    о́пытныйópytnyj, быва́лыйbyvályj

    very sophisticated especially because of surfeit; versed in the ways of the world

Examples

14 sentences

  1. He is indifferent to worldly success.

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  2. Abstain from fleshly and worldly lusts.

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  3. Virtue does not seek worldly pleasures.

    ruДобродетель не ищет мирских удовольствий.

    deTugend strebt nicht nach weltlichem Vergnügen.

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  4. No one is free from worldly cares.

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  5. Dmitri found himself inside another-worldly house.

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Translations

8 languages
Русский
By meaning 3
concerned with the human, earthly or physical rather than spiritual:
concerned with the secular rather than sacred:
versed in the ways of the world:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
concerned with the human, earthly or physical rather than spiritual:
versed in the ways of the world:

Origin

From Middle English worldly, worldlich, wordly (adjective), from Old English woruldlīċ, wo

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”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

worldlier/more worldly, worldliest/most worldly
Comparativeworldlier / more worldly Lesson
Superlativeworldliest / most worldly Lesson

regular

Synonyms

21 synonyms
materialA2layB1civilB1secularC2sophisticatedB2mundanesublunarterreneprofanetemporalareligiousearthlyirreligiouslaicist
Close in meaning
  • characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world:seculartemporal
  • very sophisticated especially because of surfeit; versed in the ways of the world:blase

Antonyms

7 antonyms
otherworldlyspiritualB1clericalB2religiousB1sacredB1naiveC1
unworldly

Word family

3 related words
Relatedold-worldlyworldlinessworld

Lessons for this word

2 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
workstationworkweekworldA1worldsworldviewB2worldwideB2
worldly — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto