adjective
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of or characteristic of the earth as opposed to heaven; material or materialistic; worldly
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informal (usually used with a negative) conceivable or possible; feasible (in such phrases as not an earthly ( chance ), etc)
Synonym Usage
Earthly, terrestrial, worldly, mundane refer to that which is concerned with the earth literally or figuratively. Earthly now almost always implies a contrast to that which is heavenly: earthly pleasures; our earthly home. Terrestrial, from Latin, is the dignified equivalent of earthly, and it applies to the earth as a planet or to the land as opposed to the water: the terrestrial globe; terrestrial areas. Worldly is commonly used in the sense of being devoted to the vanities, cares, advantages, or gains of this present life to the exclusion of spiritual interests or the life to come: worldly success; worldly standards. Mundane, from Latin, is a formal equivalent of worldly and suggests that which is bound to the earth, is not exalted, and therefore is commonplace: mundane pursuits.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of earthly
First recorded before 1000; Middle English erth(e)ly, Old English eorthlīc. See earth, -ly
Explanation
If you believe in an afterlife, you probably realize that making lots of money is only an earthly concern, and not something that matters in heaven. Religious believers make the distinction between earthly problems and things that are far more important in the long term. Usually, these earthly worries have to do with material things, like jobs, money, cars, and houses — rather than spiritual concerns like love, faith, and beauty. The word earth is at the root of earthly, and you can think of it as "things that only matter to humans on the Earth."
Vocabulary lists containing earthly
Obama's speech at Connecticut vigil
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Good morning, my people. I regret to inform you of the departure of my son Prichard from this earthly world," Richard Colon wrote on Facebook.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Conjuring fantasies is one of humanity’s most ancient arts — a sacred creative practice — but without earthly rooting, the symphony is incomplete.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
It may feel like a medical miracle, but there’s a more earthly explanation.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
“While Peretz was shaping an earthly culture that outrivaled heaven’s in its goodness, others were shaping an earthly culture that outrivaled hell’s in its venom,” she concludes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
My father carried on his shoulders the large blue-tin trunk which later I learned contained all of Ultima’s earthly possessions, the black dresses and shawls she wore, and the magic of her sweet smelling herbs.
From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya
Compassion, divine compassion, mastered the earthlier emotion of terror in the great heart of the woman who loved him.
From Blind Love by Wilkie Collins
From theology he turned to purely human and materialist philosophy; from an ideal of pure love to earthlier defilements.
From Great Men and Famous Women, Vol. 7 A Series of Pen and Pencil Sketches of the Lives of More Than 200 of the Most Prominent Personages in History by Charles F. (Charles Francis) Horne
Tempest, Act V. "But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd."
From The Grammar of English Grammars by Goold Brown
Her heart exulted, while it trembled, at his honorable love,—so pure and lofty that it would accept nothing less than perfection, nor miserably make itself contented with an earthlier nature than he had dreamed of.
From Short-Stories by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson
May I not dream God sends thee there, Thou mellow angel of the air, Even to rebuke my earthlier rhymes With music’s soul, all praise and prayer?
From Aileen Aroon, A Memoir With other Tales of Faithful Friends and Favourites by Gordon Stables
But the moon still revolveth around all that is earthly: so revolveth also the prince around what is earthliest of all—that, however, is the gold of the shopman.
From Thus Spake Zarathustra A book for all and none by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
