man of the world
5
6.3
- noun
:
hombre de mundo
- As a seasoned diplomat, he truly is a man of the world, understanding the complexities of international relations.
- very much a man of the world
- much a man of the world
Examples
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He nodded; whatever else you say about him, Max is a man of the world.
Fiction book (1995) -
Naturally, since you and I are both men of the world, I saw no reason to speak more bluntly.
Fiction book (2001) -
- This is a man of the world.
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I thought you were a man of the world.
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Ah, we're all men of the world.
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I'm a man of the world, a man of action.
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As one man of the world to another, do us the honor of accepting our hospitality.
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I mean you're a man of the world.
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My dear, I've always been a man of the world.
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He's a man of the world, and he means well by us.
Academic text (1991)
Synonyms
5
7.7
A person who knows a lot about fashion, art, and good manners
Antonyms
How Worldly
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an experienced, worldly-wise man' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'man' with 'of the world'—the phrase signals a person related to the wider experiences of the world. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English noun + of-phrase relational structure, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will likely infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Man of the world comes from the image of a man who has been 'out in the world', who has traveled, met many people and learned how life and people work. So it now means a man who is 'experienced' and comfortable in many social and practical situations.