extraterrestrial

adjective ex·tra·ter·res·tri·al \ ˌek-strə-tə-ˈre-strē-əl , -ˈres-chəl , -ˈresh-chəl \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of extraterrestrial

: originating, existing, or occurring outside the earth or its atmosphere

extraterrestrial life

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Recent Examples of extraterrestrial from the Web

All of those organisms can serve for models for extraterrestrial life.

— jeffrey kluger, Time, "Researchers Say Venus' Atmosphere Could Support Extraterrestrial Life," 2 Apr. 2018
Ata’ after the Atacama region where she was found, the diminutive mummy is only six inches long, leading some people to wonder if the skeleton was really from an extraterrestrial.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Mystery of 'Alien Skeleton' Solved," 23 Mar. 2018
Many members have had their own brushes with the extraterrestrial.

— matthew ormseth, courant.com, "Sleuths Track UFO Sightings Across Connecticut," 12 Mar. 2018
Most movies about aliens suppose that extraterrestrial life wants to eradicate humanity; Annihilation asks: What if aliens wanted to combine themselves with us?

— emily gaudette, Newsweek, "Best Horror Movies 2018: The Most Anticipated Scares, from 'Truth or Dare' to 'Slender Man'," 11 Jan. 2018
And the Chinese just built the world’s largest radar facility to listen for extraterrestrial life.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "It’s Time for Real Talk About Aliens," 23 Mar. 2018
But those who believe that Ata is extraterrestrial aren’t changing their minds, regardless of the new scientific revelations.

— emery smith, National Geographic, "Tiny Mummy’s ‘Alien’ Appearance Finally Explained," 22 Mar. 2018
At the eyepiece of its own telescope, the intelligent extraterrestrial might likewise be ogling Disney’s smaller, fainter home galaxy, the Milky Way.

— adam hadhazy, Discover Magazine, "Taking a Dim View," 9 Mar. 2018
The icy moon likely harbors a global subsurface ocean with more water than Earth, and Europa may be the most likely place in the solar system to find extraterrestrial life.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "Falcon Heavy for the Outer Solar System," 2 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'extraterrestrial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of extraterrestrial

1848

in the meaning defined above

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extraterrestrial

noun

Definition of extraterrestrial

: a being from another world : an extraterrestrial being

Recent Examples of extraterrestrial from the Web

Would Boyajian have really raised so much money if KIC 8462852 hadn’t generated so much hype about intelligent extraterrestrials?

— neel v. patel, Slate Magazine, "How Interesting Does Science Have to Be for the Public to Fund It?," 4 Jan. 2018
The search for extraterrestrials is very expensive.

— meghan bartels, Newsweek, "Do Aliens Exist? Human Technology May Prevent Us From Finding Out," 1 Mar. 2018
Perhaps extraterrestrials had constructed a titanic array of solar panels around the star, a hypothetical concept proposed years ago by physicist Freeman Dyson.

— ben guarino, Washington Post, "The strangest star in the sky finally has an explanation for its flicker," 3 Jan. 2018
Voyagers 1 and 2 both carry a Golden Record, intended to play the sounds of our planet for any advanced extraterrestrials who might one day find a lonely spacecraft and wonder what the people who built it were like.

— andrew moseman, Popular Mechanics, "You Can Now Listen to the Voyager Golden Record Online," 28 July 2015
After all, if there are no extraterrestrials, there isn't much of a mission for the Starship Enterprise or job openings for Vulcans.

— NBC News, "Simple math shows how many space aliens may be out there," 26 Jan. 2018
Interest in extraterrestrials has been piqued this week after the New York Times reported that the Pentagon had been secretly researching the existence of UFOs from 2007 to 2012.

— katie van syckle, The Cut, "Sarah Huckabee Sanders Is Checking Whether Trump Believes in UFOs," 19 Dec. 2017
The glowing white vehicle really does give off the impression of extraterrestrials arriving, but there's actually an (albeit less exciting) explanation behind this celestial object.

— suzannah weiss, Teen Vogue, "SpaceX Launches Rocket in California, Internet Freaks Out," 23 Dec. 2017
People naturally assume that extraterrestrials come from societies that are way smarter than ours.

— joe queenan, WSJ, "What Those UFOs Are Really Up To," 21 Dec. 2017

First Known Use of extraterrestrial

1950

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

EXTRATERRESTRIAL Defined for English Language Learners

extraterrestrial

adjective

Definition of extraterrestrial for English Language Learners

: coming from or existing outside the planet Earth

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