unearthly
Americanadjective
-
seeming not to belong to this earth or world.
unearthly beauty.
-
supernatural; ghostly; unnaturally strange; weird.
an unearthly scream.
- Synonyms:
- spectral, preternatural
-
out of the ordinary; unreasonable or absurd.
to get up at an unearthly hour.
adjective
-
ghostly; eerie; weird
unearthly screams
-
heavenly; sublime
unearthly music
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ridiculous or unreasonable (esp in the phrase unearthly hour )
Synonym Usage
See weird.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unearthly
Explanation
Unearthly describes something supernatural — a person or object that seems to come from another world. Unearthly beings are usually mysterious and can sometimes be scary, like the aliens you might see in a science fiction movie. When unearthly was first used in the early 1600s, it meant "heavenly, sublime," a combination of un, meaning "not," and earthly. Unearthly can still be used is to describe something spiritual or having to do with the soul. If you feel an unearthly presence while walking in a cemetery at night, it might be a visitor from "the other side."
Vocabulary lists containing unearthly
Uncanny, Creepy, or Downright Scary: Words For Halloween
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 8–13
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The Devil's Arithmetic
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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.
Ms. Pratt’s voice is unearthly and beautiful, and it’s striking to hear her showing up in such a setting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026
They did not leave disappointed as the sun shrank to a crescent-like sliver of light that cast an unearthly pale gloom over the city.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2024
In the adept lithograph “Angels and Airplanes,” Russia’s Natalia Goncharova gives her blessing to the erupting conflagration by entwining unearthly militarism and Orthodox religiosity.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2023
Lovecraft short story, an apt source considering the eccentric author was, like Cage, drawn to tales of unearthly heebie-jeebies and anti-authoritarian resistance.
From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2023
Miss Mallory had asked, marveling at the intricate, almost unearthly weave in the girl’s remarkable head of fine black hair.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
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.
