1
as in temporal
having to do with life on earth especially as opposed to that in heaven
scientists haven't even found all the terrestrial life on our planet
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mundane
having to do with the practical details of regular life
let's focus on terrestrial issues—such as how to pay the bills
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of terrestrial
Additionally, researchers learned that the ants combine their impressive lunar compass with terrestrial and solar cues, at dawn and dusk, to navigate consistently even as moon visibility varies during the lunar month.
—
K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 17 May 2026
China and Russia plan to establish the International Lunar Research Station near the moon’s south pole by 2035, with some of the same material science research supporting both lunar and terrestrial applications.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 17 May 2026
Whales, dolphins, sea lions and sea otters frolic in the waters around the park, while the islands provide a terrestrial habitat for super-rare flora and fauna species like the Torrey Pine and Island Fox.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
The existence of near-unkillable fungi makes future Mars rover missions more fraught and past ones potential seeds of terrestrial life on the red planet.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrestrial
K. R. Callaway, Scientific American, 17 May 2026
China and Russia plan to establish the International Lunar Research Station near the moon’s south pole by 2035, with some of the same material science research supporting both lunar and terrestrial applications.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 17 May 2026
Whales, dolphins, sea lions and sea otters frolic in the waters around the park, while the islands provide a terrestrial habitat for super-rare flora and fauna species like the Torrey Pine and Island Fox.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
The existence of near-unkillable fungi makes future Mars rover missions more fraught and past ones potential seeds of terrestrial life on the red planet.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrestrial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrestrial
Adjective
-
These areas included the prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, parietal and temporal cortices, and the amygdala, which are involved in pain processing, emotional regulation, and cognition.—
Stephanie Anderson Witmer,
Health,
2 June 2026
-
His head sustained a small temporal fracture and a small brain bleed.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
Decades later, that mundane trip provided the missing link to break China’s monopoly on the global electric vehicle supply chain.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
28 May 2026
-
The action shifts to New York for just one extended sequence, set in a bar, where Tommy and Jeff reunite to discuss their more mundane lives in the months since their day in Brigadoon.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
At the time, detectives collected and preserved physical evidence but were unable to narrow down a suspect.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
As for agentic commerce, in Jain’s framing, only Google, Anthropic, and Bilt have the breadth of demand-side merchant integrations to power AI commerce in the physical world.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Wherever possible, Arnold shot outside the studio, capturing her subjects going about their everyday lives — a radical approach for celebrity photography at the time.—
Sheena McKenzie,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
-
Our expert take The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a no-annual-fee card that earns generous cash-back on everyday purchases and a lucrative welcome bonus.—
Jason Stauffer,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
The charity reports a 70% increase in multi-animal incidents across England and Wales since 2021, defining such cases as those involving 10 or more animals.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Regulators are trying to push drug development into a post-animal testing era.—
Meghana Keshavan,
STAT,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In Muslim belief, whoever holds a fragment is holding something that connects the earthly world with the divine.—
Iqbal Akhtar,
The Conversation,
25 May 2026
-
What feels like sci-fi resolves into a Realist worker portrait as a technological fantasy of efficiency chafes against the fleshy, earthly physical world.—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terrestrial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrestrial. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
