worldly-wise

[ wurld-lee-wahyz ]

adjective

1. wise as to the affairs of this world.

Word History and Origins

Origin of worldly-wise¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

Bellamy version 2.0 may well be more worldly-wise, more focused, more able to channel the passion for the game and his country that has always run deep.

From BBC

And, like that earlier film, this movie is less about the exploits of an adorable moppet and his worldly-wise older relative than the brother-sister relationship that hovers just around the edges.

From Washington Post

In the end, this ragtag band finally acquires the sutra scrolls from a surprisingly worldly-wise Buddha and achieves a kind of sainthood for themselves.

From Washington Post

I loved Ferrell first and foremost because she looked and sounded like my people — red-haired and rotund, but worldly-wise and dry rather than jolly.

From Los Angeles Times

The worldly-wise Marschallin tells Octavian, as tactfully as possible, that their affair, though lovely, will not last.

From New York Times