down-to-earth

[doun-too-urth, -tuh-]

adjective

1. practical and realistic.

   a down-to-earth person.

   Synonyms: pragmatic, sober, sensible, hardheaded

down-to-earth

adjective

1. sensible; practical; realistic

Word History and Origins

Origin of down to earth¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Idioms and Phrases

Back to reality. For example, It's time the employees were brought down to earth concerning the budget . P.G. Wodehouse had this idiom in Very Good, Jeeves! (1930): “I had for some little time been living . . . in another world. I now came down to earth with a bang.” [Late 1920s]

Also, down-to-earth . Realistic or interested in everyday occurrences, as in She is a very down-to-earth person, not at all involved with the glamour of Hollywood . [1930s]

Example Sentences

"His continuity, his down-to-earth nature and his staying power in remaining as an unlisted, independent company have always been a huge inspiration for me personally," Smith wrote on social media.

From BBC

He was smart, down-to-earth and cute, and I think he liked me.

From Los Angeles Times

That makes him the standard superhero with a tortured origin story, but a more down-to-earth version.

From Salon

Ellie Kildunne, the reigning World Player of the Year whose dazzling feet and down-to-earth charm have made her the face of the tournament in England, lived up to that billing.

From BBC

She’s quietly looking to regain an appealing level of accessibility, one that requires a low lift and looks down-to-earth, like being on a podcast.

From Salon