unearthly

adjective

un·​earth·​ly ˌən-ˈərth-lē 

: not earthly: such as

a

: not mundane : ideal

unearthly love

b

: not terrestrial

unearthly radio sources

c

: preternatural, supernatural

an unearthly light

d

: weird, eerie

unearthly howls

e

: absurd, ungodly

gets up at an unearthly hour

unearthliness noun

Synonyms of unearthly

• superhuman
• uncanny
• magical
• miraculous
• remarkable

Examples of unearthly in a Sentence

We left at the unearthly time of 5:00 a.m.

an unearthly knack for picking winning lottery numbers

Recent Examples on the Web

During Argentina’s semifinal victory, against England, Messi, who is still playing at the unearthly age of thirty-nine, spent the opening hour of the match being buffeted and bypassed by the action. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

Pots simmered on the stove with paella, fruit rotted in bowls next to the junk mail, and the pantry was full of old rusted cans of strange unearthly edibles—bamboo shoots and snails in sauce and lemons floating in brine. — Literary Hub, 8 May 2026

The effect is both unearthly and mystical. — Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 1 May 2026

And, much like Earth’s atmosphere, Titan’s air is mostly nitrogen, albeit with small and distinctly unearthly amounts of methane and hydrogen. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing unearthly

• unearthly hour/time

Rhymes for unearthly

• earthly

Kids Definition

unearthly

adjective

un·​earth·​ly ˌən-ˈərth-lē 

ˈən-

1

: not of or belonging to the earth

unearthly terrain

2

: supernatural sense 2, weird, terrifying

an unearthly scream

unearthliness noun