Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

worldly

/ˈwɜː(ɹ)ldli/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.34 in modern English

Syllables
world-ly
IPA
/ˈwɜː(ɹ)ldli/
14
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

In a worldly manner.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English worldly, worldlich, wordly (adjective), from Old English woruldlīċ, worldlīċ, weoroldlīċ (“worldly; earthly; temporal; mundane; secular”), from Proto-Germanic *weraldilīkaz, equivalent to world + -ly. Cognate with Dutch wereldlijk (“worldly; secular”), German Low German weltlik (“worldly”), German weltlich (“worldly”), Danish verdslig (“worldly”), Swedish världslig (“worldly”), Icelandic veraldlegur (“worldly; secular”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Religion.

Inflected Forms

worldlier (comparative) more worldly (comparative) worldliest (superlative) most worldly (superlative)

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Antonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce worldly?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwɜː(ɹ)ldli/.
What does worldly mean?
Concerned with human or earthly matters, physical as opposed to spiritual.
Where does worldly come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce worldly

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “worldly”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwɜː(ɹ)ldli/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “worldly”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “worldly” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.