worldly

  • 1Worldly — World ly, a. [AS. woroldlic.] [1913 Webster] 1. Relating to the world; human; common; as, worldly maxims; worldly actions. I thus neglecting worldly ends. Shak. [1913 Webster] Many years it hath continued, standing by no other worldly mean but… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2Worldly — World ly, adv. With relation to this life; in a worldly manner. [1913 Webster] Subverting worldly strong and worldly wise By simply meek. Milton. [1913 Webster] …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3worldly — [adj1] material, nonreligious carnal, earthly, earthy, fleshly, human, lay, materialistic, mundane, natural, physical, practical, profane, secular, sublunary, telluric, temporal, terrene, terrestrial, ungodly; concepts 536,582 Ant. immaterial,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 4worldly — ► ADJECTIVE (wordlier, wordliest) 1) of or concerned with material affairs rather than spiritual ones. 2) experienced and sophisticated. ● worldly goods (or possessions or wealth) Cf. ↑worldly wealth DERI …

    English terms dictionary

  • 5worldly — [wʉrld′lē] adj. worldlier, worldliest 1. of or limited to this world; temporal or secular 2. devoted to or concerned with the affairs, pleasures, etc. of this world: also worldly minded 3. worldly wise; sophisticated SYN. EARTHLY worldliness n …

    English World dictionary

  • 6worldly — O.E. woruldlic, from the roots of WORLD (Cf. world) and LIKE (Cf. like) (adj.). A common Germanic compound (Cf. O.Fris. wraldlik, O.S. weroldlik, M.Du. wereldlik, Ger. weltlich, O.N. veraldligr). Worldly wise is recorded from c.1400 …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 7worldly — 1 mundane, *earthly, terrestrial, earthy, sublunary Analogous words: temporal, *profane, secular: *material, physical, corporeal: *carnal, fleshly, sensual Contrasted words: *celestial, heavenly, empyrean, empyreal: sacred, * …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 8worldly — index civil (public), material (physical), mundane, physical, profane Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton …

    Law dictionary

  • 9worldly — meaning ‘temporal or earthly’, has two ls …

    Modern English usage

  • 10worldly — [[t]wɜ͟ː(r)ldli[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED Worldly is used to describe things relating to the ordinary activities of life, rather than to spiritual things. [LITERARY] I think it is time you woke up and focused your thoughts on more worldly matters... He… …

    English dictionary