as in sophisticated
having a wide and refined knowledge of the world especially from personal experience
her long career as a globe-trotting journalist has made her very worldly-wise
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of worldly-wise
Crucially, they are grounded in real-world experiences, from a recent exchange with worldly-wise restaurant waitresses in Bordeaux exemplifying trust and collaboration, to the coaching of top CEOs over the past 20 years.
—
Hec Paris Insights, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Heather Alicia Simms and Vanessa Bell Calloway are both sharp, witty, and poignant without sentimentality as the play’s two matriarchal figures, the formidable Missy Judson and Idella Landy, the wry, worldly-wise housekeeper who essentially raised Charlie.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 June 2024
Parroni does a good job of balancing the way that adolescents veer from experimenting with a worldly-wise cynicism and dipping back into the wildness of childhood.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023
Hec Paris Insights, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Heather Alicia Simms and Vanessa Bell Calloway are both sharp, witty, and poignant without sentimentality as the play’s two matriarchal figures, the formidable Missy Judson and Idella Landy, the wry, worldly-wise housekeeper who essentially raised Charlie.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 June 2024
Parroni does a good job of balancing the way that adolescents veer from experimenting with a worldly-wise cynicism and dipping back into the wildness of childhood.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for worldly-wise
Adjective
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The Swiss skincare import creates sophisticated formulations featuring pure alpine ingredients from high altitude plants and Triple DNA, a patented marine DNA extract that deeply hydrates and boosts cell renewal.—
Bea McMonagle,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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These symbols are part of an entirely undeciphered script from a sophisticated ancient civilization thousands of years old.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Streamlined and cosmopolitan in style and substance, limited edition Wyld Box Jewelry embodies cleanly sculpted silhouettes.—
Kyle Roderick,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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Nation-states and their parochial identities would give way to an interdependent and cosmopolitan future.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Johanna’s worldly bearing and otherworldly beauty; the unbearable stirrings of jealousy aroused when her teacher bonds with other students; the deeper bond that forms when Johanne impulsively pays a visit to Johanna’s apartment.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
27 Feb. 2025
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His own systematic thinking and interest in the workings of worldly power led him to become a conservative Catholic.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Worldly-wise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worldly-wise. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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