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
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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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Her middle name isn’t a very sophisticated one.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
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Buying artificial or natural flowers that are in season is a great way to create a sophisticated environment for your event.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Food and drink Like everything else at The Rooster, the food has a distinct sense of place but also a cosmopolitan sensibility.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
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Indeed, in many ways, West’s performatively anti-white, unpatriotic, and cosmopolitan version of polyamory is the blue-state mirror image of tradwifery, which, in its various forms, can fetishize whiteness, nostalgic Americana, and (often Christian) nationalism.—
Tyler Austin Harper,
The Atlantic,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Spilsbury, a native Southern California who previously owned her own café, describes Cbar as a welcoming coastal bistro with worldly flavors, especially from the regions where its wines are sourced.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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Ramadan is the month that Muslims fast from food and drink from sun up to sun down in an effort to form a deeper connection with God, without the distractions of worldly temptations.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Worldly-wise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/worldly-wise. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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