Meanings
comparative more worldly-wise · superlative most worldly-wise · alternative worldlywise · alternative worldly wise
- Experienced in the ways of the world; sophisticated and cosmopolitan.
I had a natural African American impulse to let this worldlywise middle-aged black woman's maternalism wash over me. And as a post-civil rights African American, I assumed that it was a white audience's job to follow suit.
2014 May 28, John McWhorter, “Saint Maya”, in The New Republic, →ISSNSynonyms: worldwise
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveExperienced in the ways of the world; sophisticated and cosmopolitan.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveexperienced in and wise to the ways of the world
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Compare the synonym worldwise, which has cognates in various West-Germanic languages.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Dutch wereldwijs
- wereldwijsexperienced in the ways of the world
German weltklug
- weltklugexperienced in the ways of the world
Polish wyrobiony
- wyrobionyexperienced in the ways of the world
Russian быва́лый
- быва́лый (byvályj)experienced in the ways of the world
Swedish världsklok, världsvan
- världsklokexperienced in the ways of the world
- världsvanexperienced in the ways of the world
- erfarenexperienced in the ways of the world
Cite this entry
worldly-wise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/worldly-wise
“worldly-wise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/worldly-wise. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “worldly-wise,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/worldly-wise.
Source: worldly-wise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.