unworldly
/' n'w :ldli/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Lacking sophistication or experience in practical matters; naive or innocent: Describes a person who is not knowledgeable about or concerned with the ordinary, practical, or material aspects of life, often seeming innocent or idealistic.
- Not concerned with material or worldly affairs; spiritual or idealistic: Describes a person, attitude, or perspective that is focused on spiritual, intellectual, or non-material values rather than on earthly or temporal concerns.
Examples of Usage
- Adjective:
- She was an unworldly young scholar, more interested in ancient manuscripts than in current events.
- His unworldly attitude made him seem out of place in the competitive business environment.
- The monk led a simple, unworldly life devoted to prayer and meditation.
Advanced Usage
"helplessly unworldly": Emphasizes a complete and almost vulnerable lack of worldly knowledge or guile.
- The character was portrayed as a helplessly unworldly innocent who was easily deceived.
"blissfully unworldly": Suggests a happy or contented state of being detached from worldly concerns.
- In her remote cottage, she lived a blissfully unworldly existence.
Variants and Related Words
Unworldliness (noun): The quality or state of being unworldly.
- Her unworldliness was both charming and a source of worry for her family.
Worldly (adjective): The direct antonym, meaning experienced in and concerned with material or practical affairs.
Synonyms
- Naive: Showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment.
- Innocent: Free from moral wrong; not corrupted. In this context, it implies simplicity.
- Idealistic: Characterized by idealism; unrealistically aiming for perfection.
- Spiritual: Relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.
Antonyms
- Worldly: Experienced and concerned with practical, material, or temporal affairs.
- Sophisticated: Having, revealing, or proceeding from a great deal of worldly experience and knowledge of fashion and culture.
- Cynical: Believing that people are motivated purely by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity.
Related Idioms and Phrases
- To have one's head in the clouds: To be out of touch with everyday realities and practical matters; this idiom is conceptually similar to being unworldly.
- He's a brilliant theorist, but he often has his head in the clouds about practical applications.
Adjective
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not wise in the ways of the world
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either too unsophisticated or too honest to promise more than he could deliver
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this helplessly unworldly woman- Kate O'Brien
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not concerned with the temporal world or swayed by mundane considerations
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was unworldly and did not greatly miss worldly rewards- Sheldon Cheney
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