earthling

noun

earth·​ling ˈərth-liŋ How to pronounce earthling (audio)
variants or Earthling
1
: an inhabitant of the earth
2

Examples of earthling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Earthlings have listened in to the rover's wheels crunching over the Martian surface and the whirring blades of its no-longer-flying helicopter sidekick, Ingenuity. Marcia Dunn The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 27 Nov. 2025 Earthlings who know where to look can spot it with a telescope in the pre-dawn skies, but most won’t take the trouble. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 20 Nov. 2025 As people across the Earth gazed at the sky the past few nights, staring up at the brilliant auroras brought on by recent intense solar storms, Earthlings in orbit had to take some precautions. Josh Dinner, Space.com, 13 Nov. 2025 The optical illusion, which is caused by Mercury’s slow motion, causes disruption and disorder to earthlings. Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for earthling

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of earthling was in 1593

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Cite this Entry

“Earthling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earthling. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.

Kids Definition

earthling

noun
earth·​ling ˈərth-liŋ How to pronounce earthling (audio)
: one who lives on the planet earth

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