earthly

adjective

earth·​ly ˈərth-lē 

1

a

: characteristic of or belonging to this earth

b

: relating to the human race's actual life on this earth

2

: possible

of what earthly use is it?

earthliness noun

Synonyms of earthly

• temporal
• mundane
• terrestrial
• physical
• animal

Choose the Right Synonym for earthly

earthly, worldly, mundane mean belonging to or characteristic of the earth.

earthly often implies a contrast with what is heavenly or spiritual.

abandoned earthly concerns and entered a convent

worldly and mundane both imply a relation to the immediate concerns and activities of human beings, worldly suggesting tangible personal gain or gratification

worldly goods

and mundane suggesting reference to the immediate and practical.

a mundane discussion of finances

Examples of earthly in a Sentence

a sermon against our obsession with earthly pursuits

Recent Examples on the Web

Cognition and sensorimotor functions emerged from the evolutionary pressures of an unpredictable earthly environment. —Rachel Barr, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026

For reasons still not wholly understood, these ultradense objects—each about the mass of our star squeezed into a bizarre, city-sized ball of degenerate quantum matter—undergo starquakes in which the material on the surface shifts a bit like in an earthly tremor. —Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2026

The problem is that residual radio signals from this epoch are very faint and easily drowned out by closer noise—in particular, our earthly communications networks, power grids, radar, and so forth. —IEEE Spectrum, 20 Jan. 2026

Other earthly assets are protected in other ways. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 20 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for earthly

• unearthly

Kids Definition

earthly

adjective

earth·​ly ˈərth-lē 

1

: belonging to or having to do with the earth

earthly joys

2

: imaginable, possible

that tool is of no earthly use

earthliness noun