unworldly
gb/ʌnwɚldli/ us/ʌnwɚldli/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
adjective
C1
property
1
naive and not practical
not experienced in everyday life; a bit naive
Usage pattern:
[someone] is unworldly; unworldly [person/attitude]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use this when they mean only “spiritual/ghostly”; in this sense it mainly means “inexperienced or not practical.”
Synonyms
naive (More direct and common for lack of experience.)
|
inexperienced (Focuses on not having done things before.)
|
innocent (Suggests trusting and not cynical.)
|
impractical (Emphasizes poor fit for real-world needs.)
Antonyms
worldly (Experienced and knowledgeable about ordinary life and pleasures.)
|
sophisticated (Socially experienced and not easily shocked or fooled.)
|
practical (Focused on what works in real situations.)
Collocations
unworldly innocence
|unworldly idealism
|unworldly simplicity
|an unworldly scholar
|an unworldly young man
|unworldly in matters of money
|unworldly about politics
|unworldly about business
|unworldly charm
Themes
personality
|social_life
Examples
- Brilliant as she was, he found her oddly unworldly about money.
- His unworldly optimism didn’t survive his first year in sales.
- She seemed unworldly and trusting, as if she’d never had to bargain or argue.
Learner examples
- He is unworldly and very naive.
- She is unworldly about business.
adjective
literary
C1
property
2
strangely beautiful or eerie
very strange or magical, like from another world
Usage pattern:
unworldly [beauty/light/silence/voice]
Common mistake:
Don’t confuse with “unearthly” (often stronger and more dramatic) or use it for ordinary “strange”; it usually suggests beauty, spirituality, or an eerie mood.
Synonyms
otherworldly (Closest synonym; emphasizes not of this world.)
|
ethereal (Suggests delicate, light, and airy beauty.)
|
eerie (Focuses more on an unsettling, strange feeling.)
|
mystical (Suggests spiritual mystery or magic.)
Antonyms
ordinary (Not special or unusual.)
|
mundane (Plain and everyday, without mystery.)
|
earthly (Belonging to normal human life rather than spiritual or unreal.)
Collocations
unworldly beauty
|unworldly light
|an unworldly glow
|unworldly silence
|an unworldly calm
|an unworldly voice
|unworldly music
|an unworldly atmosphere
|unworldly serenity
|unworldly stillness
Themes
art
|literature
|emotions
Examples
- The cave was filled with an unworldly blue light.
- Her face had an unworldly calm that made everyone lower their voices.
- The choir’s unworldly sound seemed to hang in the air long after they stopped singing.
Learner examples
- The room had an unworldly silence.
Grammar
Dictionary form
unworldly
IPA
GB/ʌnwɚldli/
US/ʌnwɚldli/
Syllables & stress
un - worldly (2 syllables)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: unworldly
Expressions
at an unworldly hour
1/ˈæt ən ʌnwɚldli ˈaʊɚ/
fixed phrase
very early or very late
at a very early (or very late) time
Examples
- We had to leave the house at an unworldly hour to catch the first flight.
- She called me at an unworldly hour, convinced she’d lost her passport.
- The bakery staff are already working at an unworldly hour.