terrestrial

American  

[tuh-res-tree-uhl] / təˈrɛs tri əl /

adjective

1. pertaining to, consisting of, or representing the earth as distinct from other planets.

   Synonyms:

   terrene

   Antonyms:

   celestial

2. of or relating to land as distinct from water.

3. Botany.

   1. growing on land; not aquatic.

   2. growing in the ground; not epiphytic or aerial.

4. Zoology. living on or in the ground; not aquatic, arboreal, or aerial.

5. of or relating to the earth or this world; worldly; mundane.

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noun

1. an inhabitant of the earth, especially a human being.

terrestrial British  

/ təˈrɛstrɪəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the earth

2. of or belonging to the land as opposed to the sea or air

3. (of animals and plants) living or growing on the land

4. earthly, worldly, or mundane

5. (of television signals) sent over the earth's surface from a transmitter on land, rather than by satellite

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noun

1. an inhabitant of the earth

terrestrial Scientific  

/ tə-rĕs′trē-əl /

1. Relating to Earth or its inhabitants.

2. Relating to, living on, or growing on land.

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Related Words

See earthly.

Other Word Forms

• nonterrestrial
  adjective
• preterrestrial
  adjective
• superterrestrial
  adjective
• terrestrially
  adverb
• terrestrialness
  noun
• underterrestrial
  adjective
• unterrestrial
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of terrestrial

First recorded in 1450–1550; late Middle English from Latin terrestri(s) “pertaining to earth” (derivative of terra “earth”) + -al ¹

Explanation

Not straying far from its Latin root terra, meaning "earth," terrestrial means "of the earth." If it's terrestrial, you'll find it on earth. If it's extraterrestrial, you'll find it emerging from a UFO. The adjective terrestrial can also be used to describe something that lives on land (as opposed to living in water, for example). "On their trip to the rain forest, the scientists were charged with cataloging terrestrial animals. Another group was going to be in charge of cataloging the aquatic animals." The adjective can also be used to describe something that is mundane in character. The teenager cried, "My life is boring and full of terrestrial events like going to band practice and to class!"

Example Sentences

"For the whale, this is obviously a stressful situation," said Stephanie Gross from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

Terrestrial computing requires significant cooling, energy, and water, inefficiencies that some space designs can mitigate.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

The group included scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, the University of Ohio and the Philipps-University Marburg.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026

Terrestrial radio, while long a signature feature of L.A.’s heavy commutes, has come under serious financial pressure in recent years, thanks to competition from streaming music services and podcasting.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 7, 2024

Terrestrial soil is loaded with the organic remains of once-living organisms; Martian soil has less organic matter than the surface of the Moon.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan