unworldly

Word family

• world
  nounA1
• worldly
  adjectiveB2
• worldliness
  nounC1
• unworldliness
  nounC1
• otherworldly
  adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe a lack of worldly knowledge, but they differ in emphasis. Unworldly is the most specific — it describes someone who has little understanding of practical matters like money or business, often because their mind is on higher things such as art, ideas, or faith. Naive is broader and more negative; a naive person is easily tricked because they trust too readily, whereas an unworldly person may simply not think about practical concerns. Idealistic focuses on holding strong moral or political principles, even when those principles are unrealistic — an idealistic person actively tries to change the world, while an unworldly person may just ignore it. Innocent is the mildest and most general; it covers moral purity and lack of harmful intentions, not just practical inexperience. A child can be innocent without being unworldly. For example, an unworldly artist might sell a painting for far less than it is worth, while a naive person would fall for a fake cheque, an idealistic person would refuse to sell at all on principle, and an innocent person would simply be unaware that money was an issue.

Common collocations

Etymology

The word combines the Old English prefix 'un-' (meaning 'not') with 'worldly', which comes from 'world' (from Old English 'weorold', meaning 'human existence, the affairs of life'). Originally used to describe someone not concerned with earthly matters, it later developed the distinct sense of 'spiritual or not of this earth' around the 16th century.