worldly concern
- noun
- /ˈwɜrldli kənˈsɜrn/
:
preocupación terrenal
- The chronicler thus imposed a black-and-white scheme on the history of his convent in which the Conventuals represented corruption and worldly concern.
Examples
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Vincent also had worldly concerns and was looking toward finding a mate: he owned a copy of Weaver's Hopes and Helps for the Young of Both Sexes.
Academic text (2011) -
Many people today struggle to balance their spiritual beliefs with their worldly concern over financial stability.
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Such contempt for worldly concerns would not go over well today.
Academic text (2002) -
They had come to be preoccupied with worldly concerns.
Academic text (2018) -
Life is not possible without death; in the same way, happiness is not possible without abandoning all those worldly concerns and dying to the self, dying to the now... simply being... and you will know that you have never been separated from the whole.
Blog text (23) -
If evangelism is all that matters, there is something unchristian in preoccupying oneself with worldly concerns or in focusing on one's material circumstances.
Academic text (1996) -
It is the turbulent sea of worldly concerns, the preoccupation with the transitory but demanding challenges of making a living and raising a family.
Academic text (2009) -
Johannes narrated how the Basel friary, presented as a vine planted by the Lord, had been corrupted by worldly concerns.
Academic text (2018) -
Although they may take part in community efforts such as volunteer fire departments, they are generally less inclined to identify with larger "communities" (such as states, provinces, or nations) for fear of tying themselves to worldly concerns (Kraybill, Johnson-Weiner, & Nolt, 2013).
Academic text (2016) -
She found herself consumed by worldly concern, worrying more about her job than her health.
Synonyms
A worry about everyday life and money
How Practical
32
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a matter related to material or practical life' is directly and compositionally derived from 'worldly' (material/temporal) modifying 'concern' (an issue or matter). This simple adjective + noun pattern follows standard English composition and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Worldly concern comes from old religious ideas, where worldly meant the 'world' of money, goods and everyday life and concern meant a worry or interest. People such as monks would leave a busy market and its goods to pray, leaving behind 'worldly' worries, so worldly concern now means a practical or material worry rather than a spiritual one.