man of the world

See synonyms for man of the world on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a man who is widely experienced in the ways of the world and people; an urbane, sophisticated man.

Origin of man of the world

1
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use man of the world in a sentence

  • Heads were thrust forth and greetings followed, some shy and low-toned, some with feigned man-of-the-world jauntiness.

    The Wrong Twin | Harry Leon Wilson
  • Here is the campaign manager, business man and man-of-the-world.

  • It was the corollary that the knowing young-man-of-the-world always puts to such a case—that the woman had been my mistress.

    The Exiles of Faloo | Barry Pain
  • Frank liked his man-of-the-world air and did not see the grins on the faces of many of the listeners.

    Battling the Clouds | Captain Frank Cobb
  • Besides, jealousy does not belong to your easy man-of-the-world pose, which you carry so well in other respects.

    Heartbreak House | George Bernard Shaw

Other Idioms and Phrases with man of the world

man of the world

Also, woman of the world. A sophisticated person, experienced in social conventions. For example, You can discuss anything with him—he's a man of the world, or She's a woman of the world and understands these delicate issues. The first expression dates from about 1200 and originally meant “a man of the secular world” or “a married man” (that is, not a priest). Shakespeare applied this latter sense in As You Like It (5:3) where Audrey, at the prospect of marriage, says: “I hope it is no dishonest desire to be a woman of the world.” Henry Fielding in Tom Jones (1749) also echoed this earlier sense: “A man of the world; that is to say, a man who directs his conduct in this world as one, who being fully persuaded there is no other, is resolved to make the most of this.” By the mid-1800s the idea of sophistication had replaced this meaning.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.