earthy
Americanadjective
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earthier,
comparative
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earthiest
superlative
-
of the nature of or consisting of earth or soil.
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characteristic of earth.
an earthy smell.
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realistic; practical.
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coarse or unrefined.
an earthy sense of humor.
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direct; robust; unaffected.
an earthy, generous woman.
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(of a mineral) having a dull luster and rough to the touch.
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Archaic. worldly; pertaining to the earth.
adjective
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of, composed of, or characteristic of earth
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robust, lusty, or uninhibited
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unrefined, coarse, or crude
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an archaic word for worldly
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electrical engineering on the earthed side of an electrical circuit, but not necessarily with a direct current connection to earth
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of earthy
First recorded in 1350–1400, earthy is from the Middle English word erthy. See earth, -y 1
Explanation
The adjective earthy runs the gamut from "crunchy" to "crude." You could use earthy to describe bohemian fashion or a vulgar comedian. Just don't use it to describe our planet. Adding one letter y to earth changes earth's status from a noun to an adjective. And what a versatile adjective it is! You could use it in a more literal way, like the "earthy smell" coming from the vegetable garden. Or, you could use it in a more figurative way — like to describe someone who wears Birkenstock sandals and grows her own bean sprouts. Earthy can also be used to describe someone who tends to be gross or vulgar, but this use of the word is somewhat euphemistic.
Vocabulary lists containing earthy
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Red Kayak
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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:
On better days, she strolled up to it, even hugging its jagged trunk and inhaling the earthy scent to lift her spirits.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Spacious, chilly and cloaked in an earthy scent, they hold hundreds of oak barrels and several towering steel tanks full of maturing wine.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Today, its earthy, sweet notes often pair well with the last course.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Bright and juicy, earthy and floral, with a light ruby color and notes of strawberry and fresh black cherry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Those earthy, onyx-rich eyes outlined in weary, teary folds of skin.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
For sweeter, earthier soups made with squash or root vegetables, I tend toward vinegars with a little fruitiness of their own, like apple cider vinegar or my current favorite, white balsamic.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
Fans of her earthier material won't be disappointed, though.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
Kombuchas made from black tea and pu-erh, meanwhile, displayed richer, earthier aromas with more pronounced fermentation characteristics.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
But for those of us with slightly earthier tastes, she remains the indelible Barbara Kean of the bygone, Batman-adjacent “Gotham.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
The house is less tidy than it was a week ago, the disinfectant smell displaced by something earthier.
From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
Where it runs into some turbulence — and despite the best efforts of everyone involved in director Eric Schaeffer’s accomplished production, it eventually does — is in its earthiest realm.
From Washington Post
It is in Waverly that Humphrey is at his earthiest.
From Time Magazine Archive
Throughout, imbuing the earthiest, coarsest things with the highest spiritual ardor, run the passionate preachings of the "Apostles."
From Time Magazine Archive
And the high-resolution satellite images that became commercially available last year will move the earthiest of endeavors into cyberspace.
From Time Magazine Archive
But I stayed where I was, the earthiest worldling in a dress of unworldliness.
From Patchwork A Story of 'The Plain People' by Helen Mason Groce
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.
