WordValedown to earth
practical and sensible
In more detail
1. (adjective) practical, realistic, and honest; not pretentious or fanciful
2. (adjective) friendly and easy to talk to; not arrogant
Examples
- 1. She has a down to earth approach to solving problems, focusing on what actually works.
- 2. Despite his fame, he remained a down to earth person who treated everyone with respect.
How to use down to earth
Down to earth describes someone who is sensible, honest, and free from affectation, or an approach that is pragmatic rather than theoretical. It emphasizes both practicality and approachability, often with a warm connotation. It is more informal and friendly in tone than synonyms like realistic or practical.
Common phrases
- a down to earth person
- down to earth approach
- down to earth attitude
- stay down to earth
- keep someone down to earth
Synonyms
practical · realistic · unpretentious · grounded · no-nonsense
Opposites
pretentious · arrogant · fanciful
A common mistake
Learners sometimes treat it as a single word (downtoearth) rather than a hyphenated or three-word phrase, or they misuse it as a verb when it functions only as an adjective.
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