noun
Etymology
Origin of earthling
Explanation
An earthling is someone who lives on the planet Earth. In science fiction books and movies, people are called earthlings to distinguish them from aliens. E.T. was definitely not an earthling. You're most likely to come across the word earthling in fiction, since we more often refer to ourselves as "people" or "humans," assuming that we are all from Earth. In science fiction, though, some characters come from other planets or galaxies and aren't actually earthlings. Earthling has an Old English root, yrþling, or "plowman," and in 1949 the author Robert Heinlein first used earthling in a science fiction context.
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.
This winter, as we turn inward with the tradition of the season, may Capricorn be the light that chases away the fear of feeling the pain of being an earthling.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2024
The post-SBF world, which arrived in tandem with the explosion of ChatGPT, would not be tethered to such puny earthling ventures.
From Slate • Nov. 20, 2023
He chronicles his total confusion about the customs and rituals of his earthling “host family.”
From New York Times • Aug. 5, 2022
But with little conclusive evidence expected to confirm any intergalactic visitations, it remains to be seen whether any earthling minds will change.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2021
Then the strange little dude jerks himself around and he catches sight of me and he lifts a crutch and points it up at my heart and he goes, "Identify yourself, earthling."
From "Freak The Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
