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Glite Dictionary
worldly goods

worldly goods

1 5.0
The things a person owns, especially material items
  • noun
  • /ˈwɜrldli ɡʊdz/
translation icon : bienes materiales
  • After years of travel, I only have a few of my worldly goods left in this old suitcase.

Examples

  • I am a nomad: all my worldly goods can fit within it.

    Blog text (1)

  • The poverty-stricken childhood of Sage left him always in fear of hunger and loss of worldly goods (Sarnoff 1965: 17).

    Academic text (1998)

  • We are not always fighting our brothers for our share of worldly goods.

    Blog text (3)

  • I bring you all my worldly goods.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Are we significantly better off, either financially or in worldly goods?

    Blog text (23)

  • People begin to push to the edge of the platform, hauling their bags and worldly goods.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • As things stand, he leaves all his worldly goods, except for his original manuscripts, to a wife who predeceased him.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • They were anxious to convert her worldly goods into cash as quickly and profitably as possible.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Deliberately, she leaned back into the chair, crossed her legs, and waited for the old lawyer to tell her what she already knew: her grandmother had no worldly goods worth mentioning.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • I'm empowered as her executor to turn over to you all that remains of Lisbeth Charters's, er, your grandmother's worldly goods.

    Fiction book (2002)

Synonyms

property
vsworldly goods
∞ 1.4

Something that a person or group owns, for example land and buildings

covers personal material items more broadly, not only land or buildings
worldly possessions
vsworldly goods
3 4.1

Things a person owns, like clothes, money, and furniture

is the same idea but focuses on tangible personal items
worldly belongings
vsworldly goods
1 3.8

All the things a person owns, like clothes or furniture

emphasizes tangible items more than financial or intangible ones
assets
vsworldly goods
3.0

Valuable things a person or company owns, like money and buildings

refers mainly to physical objects and tangible items rather than value

How Many

property
∞ 1.4
assets
3.0
worldly goods
1 5.0
possession
240 1.7
to item
1 6.7

Surface Forms

worldly goods singular
worldly goods plural

Morphology

worldly + good

The meaning 'all possessions and property' is directly compositional from 'worldly' (material/temporal rather than spiritual) modifying 'goods' (possessions/commodities). This adjective+noun pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Worldly goods comes from religious life, where people who wanted a life of faith gave away their worldly things and their goods, the money and items they owned, so they could live simply. So today worldly goods means all your 'possessions' or 'material things'.