in another world—
1. out of touch with reality; unaware of the latest news, etc.:
- I had for some time been living, as it were, in another world. I now came down to earth with a bang.
2. is used of a state of existence after death:
- A night’s reflection has convinced me that there is no hell for these women in another world.
Cf.: in this world—during our life on earth (as distinguished from the world beyond the grave):
- All human beings are destined to exist forever—in this world, and the world to come.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase there’s a whole other world out there—there is a whole new world of ideas, information, etc. that is different from what we know:
- There’s a whole other world out there, one in which chemists work on more immediate problems in close collaboration with customers.
on other worlds—on other planets:
- Most scientists believe the universe is so vast that it is almost a statistical certainty that intelligence exists on other worlds.
See also: in the next world / in the second world.