worldly wise
Savvy about life
Worldly wise describes someone who understands how the world actually works—its compromises, deceptions, and unwritten rules.
The term suggests practical knowledge gained through experience rather than books: She was worldly wise enough to know the offer came with strings attached.
It implies a certain loss of innocence, the ability to navigate human nature without being naive about motives.
- experiencedHaving practical knowledge gained
- practicalSuited for real use
- astuteMentally sharp, discerning
- shrewdPractically clever, perceptive
- savvyPractical shrewdness
been around the block · street-smart · street smarts · sharp cookie · insightful · acumen · seasoned · old hand · judicious · perceptive · discerning · cosmopolitan · sophisticated · battle-scarred · hard knocks · eyes wide open · diplomatic · knowledgeable
- sophisticatessophisticate, connoisseur, aesthete, bon vivant, cosmopolitan
- maturityadulthood, immature, come of age, ripe, unripe
- wisdom sayingsproverbs, sayings, adages, maxims, aphorisms
worldly wisenaive
Innocently unsuspecting
innocent · inexperienced · unsophisticated · green · unworldly
worldly wiseidealistic
Pursuing unrealistic standards
trusting · starry-eyed · Pollyanna · utopian · romantic
world, worldly, worlds, worldliness, unworldly, otherworldly, wise, wisdom, wiser