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unearthly

adjective

ˌən-ˈərth-lē How to pronounce unearthly (audio)
Definition of unearthlynext
1
as in superhuman
being so extraordinary or abnormal as to suggest powers which violate the laws of nature an unearthly knack for picking winning lottery numbers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in eerie
fearfully and mysteriously strange or fantastic an unearthly wail came from out of the darkness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in supernatural
of, relating to, or being part of a reality beyond the observable physical universe unearthly messages that she believed were coming from her deceased father

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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 unearthly Tassoni is best known for his 2023 Black List script Lure, which follows a park ranger lured into the woods by a dangerous, unearthly predator mimicking her dead daughter. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 Apr. 2026 The crossroads legend seems to have originated with the unearthly skills of Tommy Johnson, a singer and guitarist born in Mississippi in the 1890s. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Mar. 2026 The mountain is incredibly hypnotic when catching the pearly hues of the first and last light of day and distils the unearthly beauty of the Himalayas into one gorgeous frame. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Feb. 2026 During August, family members of the deceased would leave offerings of tools, food, and water on graves and elaborate altars to aid their dearly departed along their unearthly travels. — Sarah Buder, AFAR Media, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unearthly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unearthly
  1. superhuman
  2. eerie
  3. supernatural
  4. uncanny
  5. haunting
  6. paranormal
  7. magical
  8. creepy
Adjective
  • Pocket calculators are superhuman but narrow, whereas the first large language models, though barely articulate, were general.
    — George Musser, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026
  • But our heroine, who’s clearly still possessed by the superhuman poise that Yeoh has weaponized across her brilliant career, is unconvinced.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of superhuman
Adjective
  • Ema’s many long walks through the neighborhood are eerie — the screams echo as if from everywhere and nowhere — but there’s a stark beauty lurking behind the death and decay, as if life could come rushing back if enough people wanted to see it.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
  • The trailer finds Depp gray-haired, with a scraggly beard, eerie eyes and thick accent, getting thrown to the ground and arrested.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of eerie
Adjective
  • Hogan builds the film around audiences’ fascination with the true crime documentary format before steering the narrative into unexpected supernatural territory.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The cursed island town in Widow’s Bay has summoned all kinds of supernatural entities, much to the dismay of its residents.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of supernatural
Adjective
  • Their resemblance is uncanny; near carbon copies, some thirty years apart.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Images often associated with barbarism on screen, like beheading the dead to memorialize them, are approached with an uncanny gentleness.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of uncanny
Adjective
  • These numbers are especially haunting because the movement was never only about women.
    — Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • However, the area is not going to have a haunting vibe, per Spyropoulos.
    — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of haunting
Adjective
  • Buckle up for Seven of Nine exploring a remote cluster of uncanny exoplanets, strange alien artifacts, long lost civilizations, and trippy paranormal anomalies.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • And the original Control taught gamers about brutalist architecture by taking place entirely within The Oldest House, an impossibly ever-shifting building home to government agents investigating paranormal threats.
    — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of paranormal
Adjective
  • Love was in the air, the city was magical, and every detail was simply unforgettable!
    — Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Production designer Henry Dunn and costume designer Elisabeth Vastola make UCLA feel like a real-life social ecosystem rather than a generic backdrop, while still allowing every number to erupt into its own magical world of performance.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of magical
Adjective
  • Get to the creepy hospital’s 48th floor, where a laboratory may be able to fashion a cure for this viral outbreak turning people into the walking, running, jumping, chomping dead.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Disembodied hands lurk in the shadows, furniture seems to move on its own, and creepy figures pop out from unexpected hiding spots in the set (designed by Reck, Connor Hopkins, Zac Crofford and Rael).
    — Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of creepy

Browse Nearby Words

unearthing
unearthly
unearths
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Cite this Entry

“Unearthly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unearthly. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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