extraterrestrial

[ek-struh-tuh-res-tree-uhl]

adjective

1. outside, or originating outside, the limits of the earth.

   People on earth have long speculated about the idea of extraterrestrial life.

   Cataclysmic wildfires could be expected if earth were to take an extraterrestrial hit.

noun

1. a being originating from beyond the earth; an alien from outer space.

   It was your typical sci-fi novel about extraterrestrials conquering the earth.

extraterrestrial

/ ˌɛkstrətɪˈrɛstrɪəl /

adjective

1. occurring or existing beyond the earth's atmosphere

noun

1. (in science fiction) a being from beyond the earth's atmosphere

extraterrestrial

1. Originating, located, or occurring outside the Earth or its atmosphere.

extraterrestrial

1. A descriptive term for things outside the Earth, such as possible civilizations outside the solar system, or objects, such as meteorites, that actually reach the Earth.

Other Word Forms

• extraterrestrially adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of extraterrestrial¹

First recorded in 1865–70; extra- + terrestrial

Example Sentences

Morrow was the chief security officer on the Maginot, the Weyland-Yutani deep space research vessel that crash-lands in Prodigy territory and carries several lethal extraterrestrial species.

From Salon

Hermit and Wendy are property, and the stolen extraterrestrials are an undiscovered country, waiting to be conquered.

From Salon

The show adds other extraterrestrial creatures, just as eerie and lethal, to the “Alien” canon too.

From Los Angeles Times

The crew, who are near the end of a 65-year mission — suspended animation keeps them young and pretty — are transporting an extraterrestrial bestiary back to Earth.

From Los Angeles Times

“Who can identify with a caricatured mob dancing in idiot ecstasy to greet the extraterrestrials?,”

From Los Angeles Times