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

He seems a very down-to-earth guy who you want to do well and I hope his ability will shine through in the Premier League as well as the Champions League.

From BBC

"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