world

/wɜːld/

world means the specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds:; Earth: the Earth (our earth). It carries an Arena rating of 1586, earned across 22 head-to-head judged battles.

Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, world ranks #32 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,210 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #1,475 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words, #2,862 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.

world is pronounced /wɜːld/.

Why “world” is a great word

The totality of human existence, society, and affairs as conducted upon the earth. From Old English *woruld*, *worold* ("human existence, age"), a compound of *wer* ("man") and *old* ("age"), thus meaning "age of man." Unlike "universe" (which encompasses the cold, indifferent expanse of all matter and time) or "earth" (which denotes only the physical orb of rock and biome), *world* is the sphere of human meaning projected upon that orb. It is the marketplace where strangers brush shoulders, the weight of a worn coin in the hand, and the hush that falls over a street at dusk when all the doors are closed—not merely the ground we walk upon, but the fragile stage we have built upon it, and all the dramas played out there until the age ends.

Etymology

From Middle English world, from Old English weorold (“world”), from Proto-West Germanic *weraldi, from Proto-Germanic *weraldiz (“lifetime, human existence, world”, literally “age/era of man”), equivalent to wer (“man”) + eld (“age”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English mounde (“world”), from Old French monde, munde (“world”). Cognates Cognate with Scots warld (“world”), North Frisian Wārel, wäält, wråål (“world”), Saterland Frisian Waareld (“world”), West Frisian wrâld (“world”), Afrikaans wêreld (“world”), Bavarian Wöd (“world”), Dutch wereld (“world”), German, Luxembourgish Welt (“world”), German Low German Wereld, Werld (“world”), Vilamovian wełt (“world”), Yiddish וועלט (velt, “world”), Danish verden (“world”), Elfdalian wärd (“world”), Faroese verð, verøld (“world”), Icelandic veröld

name

The specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds:; Earth: the Earth (our earth).
The specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds:; The Universe: our universe.
The specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds:; Existence.
The specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds:; Any of the (conceptually figurative) worlds that constitute (or have formerly been asserted to constitute) the world, as for example:; The Third World (the third world).
The specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds:; Any of the (conceptually figurative) worlds that constitute (or have formerly been asserted to constitute) the world, as for example:; The First World (the first world).
The specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds:; Any of the (conceptually figurative) worlds that constitute (or have formerly been asserted to constitute) the world, as for example:; The Second World (the second world).
The specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds:; Any of the (conceptually figurative) worlds that constitute (or have formerly been asserted to constitute) the world, as for example:; The Fourth World (the fourth world).
The specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds:; Any of the (conceptually figurative) worlds that constitute (or have formerly been asserted to constitute) the world, as for example:; The Industrialized World (the industrialized world).
The specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds:; Any of the (conceptually figurative) worlds that constitute (or have formerly been asserted to constitute) the world, as for example:; The Developed World (the developed world).
The specific world, or any of several specific constituent worlds, that humans live in, among any other (real or possible) worlds:; Any of the (conceptually figurative) worlds that constitute (or have formerly been asserted to constitute) the world, as for example:; The Developing World (the developing world).

noun

The subjective human experience, regarded collectively; human collective existence; existence in general; the reality we live in.e.g.“In retrospect, the process of economic globalization has meant the end of the world as we knew it.”
The subjective human experience, regarded individually.e.g.“The period immediately following my divorce seemed like the end of my world.”
A majority of people.e.g.“Running after God is the only life worth living. Even though the world believes that living for God is boring, we believe that there is nothing more exciting.”
The Universe.
The Earth, especially in a geopolitical or cultural context, or as the physical planet.e.g.“People are dying of starvation all over the world.”
Any of several possible scenarios concerning The Earth, either as the physical planet, or in a geopolitical, cultural or societal context.e.g.“Who would want to live in a world like this?”
(Several) alternative scenarios concerning The Earth, either as the physical planet, or in a geopolitical, cultural or societal context.e.g.“the best of all possible worlds. In the French original: le meilleur des mondes possibles. In German: die beste aller möglichen Welten.” — 1710, Gottfried Leibniz, Essais de Théodicée sur la bonté de Dieu, la liberté de l'homme et l'origine du mal (Essays of Theodicy on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man and the Origin of Evil):
A distinct realm, capable of containing objects or inhabitants, which does not physically border other similar realms.e.g.“He's a highly advanced AI, and this is his world - one that he created from nothing. So, naturally, he has control over... everything. ...But so do we.” — 2026 March 20, Gooseworx, “hjsakldfhl” (21:09 from the start), in The Amazing Digital Circus, episode 8, spoken by Kinger (Sean Chiplock):
A distinct realm, capable of containing objects or inhabitants, which does not physically border other similar realms.; A planet, especially one which is inhabited or inhabitable.e.g.“Our mission is to travel the galaxy and find new worlds.”
A distinct realm, capable of containing objects or inhabitants, which does not physically border other similar realms.; A planet, especially one which is inhabited or inhabitable.; Any other astronomical body which may be inhabitable, such as a natural satellite.
A distinct realm, capable of containing objects or inhabitants, which does not physically border other similar realms.; In various mythologies, cosmologies, etc., one of a number of separate realms or regions having different characteristics and occupied by different types of inhabitants.e.g.“Frey [...] clambered up on to the Hildskjalf, the throne from which Odin could see everything that happened across the nine worlds.” — 2017, Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology, Bloomsbury Publishing, page 182:
A distinct realm, capable of containing objects or inhabitants, which does not physically border other similar realms.; A fictional realm, such as a planet, containing one or multiple societies of beings, especially intelligent ones.e.g.“the world of Narnia”
A very large extent of country.e.g.“the New World”
An individual or group perspective or social setting.e.g.“In the world of boxing, good diet is all-important.”
The part of an operating system distributed with the kernel, consisting of the shell and other programs.

verb

To consider or cause to be considered from a global perspective; to consider as a global whole, rather than making or focusing on national or other distinctions; compare globalize.
To make real; to make worldly.

Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Words closest in meaning

By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.

lebenswelt 63% match — The sum total of all immediate phenomena which constitute the world of an individual or of a corporate life; life-world. vs world →
worldwisdom 62% match — Wisdom, knowledge, or understanding about the world; experience; philosophy. vs world →
worldly 62% match — Concerned with human or earthly matters, physical as opposed to spiritual. vs world →
worldish 62% match — Of, belonging to, or characteristic the world; worldly. vs world →
universe 61% match — The sum of everything that exists in the cosmos. vs world →
worldward 61% match — In regard to the world. vs world →
lifeworld 61% match — The world "as lived" prior to reflective representation or analysis. vs world →
jagat 60% match — The material or physical world as subjectively experienced. vs world →