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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of terrestrial
Long-nosed bandicoots make their homes in forests, shrublands, grasslands, and terrestrial environments.
—
Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
Like terrestrial plants, sargassum needs nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
Howard Stern, then a rising shock jock on terrestrial radio, went all in, calling for Goetz to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The other factor is the origin of the organic material itself—marine plants are more likely to become oil, whereas terrestrial plants are more likely to become gas.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrestrial
Marina Watts, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
Like terrestrial plants, sargassum needs nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients.
—Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2026
Howard Stern, then a rising shock jock on terrestrial radio, went all in, calling for Goetz to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026
The other factor is the origin of the organic material itself—marine plants are more likely to become oil, whereas terrestrial plants are more likely to become gas.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrestrial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrestrial
Adjective
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In this example the information is temporal, slight, and of little broad use.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 Jan. 2026
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It’s shaped around facial proportions, temporal corners, and the way hair naturally grows.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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To an outsider, this looks like a mundane infrastructure dispute.—
Yunus Emre Tozal,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Feb. 2026
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But most of the messages were more mundane, such as highlighting support for requiring voters to provide identification at the polls.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Harald’s physical health has deteriorated in recent years, requiring Haakon to act as regent on occasion.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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Greenland’s Sermitsiaq reported that Poirier had arrived Friday along with Canada’s delegation, but said the consul doesn’t yet have a physical consulate.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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From home entertaining to everyday snacking, savory flavors are officially having a moment in 2026.—
Cori Sears,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Feb. 2026
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As the search continues, investigators are piecing together not only physical evidence and witness tips, but also the digital trail left behind by everyday technology.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Not quite plant, not quite animal; delicious and wild and rare.—
Callie Sumlin,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 Oct. 2025
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, dogs were more likely to respond to animal stimuli than to non-animal stimuli.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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Cognition and sensorimotor functions emerged from the evolutionary pressures of an unpredictable earthly environment.—
Rachel Barr,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Terrestrial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrestrial. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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