extraterrestrial

1 of 2

adjective

ex·​tra·​ter·​res·​tri·​al ˌek-strə-tə-ˈre-strē-əl 

-ˈres-chəl, 

-ˈresh-chəl

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

extraterrestrial life

extraterrestrial

2 of 2

noun

: a being from another world : an extraterrestrial being

Examples of extraterrestrial in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

One popular type of proposal involved displaying supposedly meaningful figures on parts of our planet that would be visible from the extraterrestrial target of choice. —Leonard David, Space.com, 23 Apr. 2026

If successful, extraterrestrial geology could have a direct impact on everyday technology. —Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 23 Apr. 2026

Noun

The hypothetical study of how humans and extraterrestrials might communicate is a real scientific field, called xenolinguistics, that includes researchers from linguistics, animal communication, and anthropology. —Tara Haelle, NPR, 12 Apr. 2026

In a 2017 interview with PEOPLE, DeLonge opened up about the show and how To the Stars Academy was an effort to give people transparency about extraterrestrials. —Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1848, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for extraterrestrial

• estriol
• terrestrial

Kids Definition

extraterrestrial

adjective

ex·​tra·​ter·​res·​tri·​al

ˌek-strə-tə-ˈres-trē-əl

: coming from or existing outside the earth or its atmosphere

extraterrestrial life

extraterrestrial noun