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worldly-wise

worldly-wise

1 7.4
Experienced and careful about the practical side of life
  • adjective
  • /ˈwɜrldli waɪz/
translation icon : sabio en lo práctico
  • Nature will eventually wipe out all those worldly-wise men and women who are dealing in complicated junk like interest rate derivatives, collateralized debt.
  • more worldly-wise

I think it's just someone who's experienced and who is quite worldly wise.

Examples

  • He's too old to take over the league, and probably too worldly wise to worry much about it.

    Blog text (28)
  • To the town children, the refinery students seemed the most worldly-wise and sophisticated of beings.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The veterans who attended Catholic schools under the G.I. Bill were older, more committed students, more worldly-wise, and more likely to consider a Catholic school for educational rather than religious reasons.

    Academic text (2002)
  • NOBLE, WORLDLY-WISE, BUT WITH A CHARMING TOUCH OF INNOCENCE.

  • Despite her young age, she often seemed more worldly-wise than her peers due to her extensive travels.

  • The worldly-wise businessman knew how to navigate difficult negotiations with ease.

  • Having lived in different countries, he became quite worldly-wise, understanding various cultures and social norms.

Synonyms

wise
vsworldly-wise
758 2.1

Showing good judgment from experience

leans more to social practicality and shrewdness than calm moral insight
savvy
vsworldly-wise
  • Informal
114 4.4

Having practical knowledge and good judgment in a specific area

is broader, combining general social experience with practical shrewdness
knowledgeable
vsworldly-wise
92 4.1

A person who has learned a lot about a subject

stresses lived social experience and practical shrewdness rather than book knowledge
sophisticated
vsworldly-wise
86 6.7

A person who has wide experience of the world and good social manners

emphasizes shrewd practical judgment rather than refined social polish
shrewd
vsworldly-wise
50 4.7

Good at judging situations and making smart business decisions

includes social sophistication and broader life experience beyond sharp cleverness
astute
vsworldly-wise
40 6.9

Good at understanding a situation quickly and using it to get an advantage

is less about advantage and more about social experience and refinement
well-informed
vsworldly-wise
33 3.5

A person who knows a lot about a subject or the world

focuses more on practical social skills and shrewd life experience
worldly
vsworldly-wise
28 5.8

Being experienced in life and with people

is similar but adds sharper shrewdness in practical decisions

Antonyms

312 4.1

Not experienced and too ready to trust others

225 2.9

Not experienced and unaware of how things work

How Experienced

sophisticated
86 6.7
experienced
138 2.1
worldly-wise
1 7.4
inexperienced
66 3.4

Surface Forms

worldly-wise positive

Morphology

worldly-wise = worldly + wise (semi-transparent) = world + wise + ly

The compound clearly combines 'worldly' and 'wise', but the final sense is a slightly specialized extension meaning experienced and shrewd about life.

Etymology

Worldly-wise comes from joining worldly ('of the world' or 'life and places') and wise ('knowing'). It gives the image of someone who has seen much of life and learned how people and situations work, so a worldly-wise person is experienced and clever in practical or social matters.