unearthly en · ADJ
Pronunciation
Etymology
From un- + earthly.
Meanings
-
Not of the earth; nonterrestrial.
In the hard glare of the Searchlight, which had been manned by Seaman 2nd class Evans W. Watkins, the rock had the unearthly look of a miniature satellite in space.
2012, Charles Lockwood, Tragedy at Honda, page 65:They were, I now saw, the most unearthly creatures it is possible to conceive.
1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 205:
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(figuratively) Preternatural or supernatural.
I believe that we are the last human beings who will ever see that unearthly sight.
1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:As a fourth finger snapped, Cacus gave an unearthly scream and relented.
2011, Steven Saylor, Roma: The Epic Novel of Ancient Rome:
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(figuratively) Strange, enigmatic, or mysterious.
I then set out to survey the town in the self-same palankeen. The houses had all of them an unearthly appearance, by no means consonant to our ideas of Oriental splendor.
1819, [publ. Sep 1858], James Morton, “The Poetical Remains of the late Dr. John Leyden, with Memoirs of his Life”, in The Calcutta Review, volume 31, page 25:
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(figuratively) Ideal beyond the mundane.
By the late sixteenth century Elizabeth had become the icon-like Virgin Queen of legend, an image created, to a large extent, by her extraordinary, unearthly costume and appearance.
2000, Aileen Ribeiro, The Gallery of Fashion, page 42:
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(derogatory, figuratively) Ridiculous, ludicrous, or outrageous.
I see my boys all wearing the same unearthly trousers, the same hair cuts, garish ties and sweaters, all rolling their socks and entertaining the same crazy notions about everything.
1927, The Walther League Messenger, volume 36, page 225:Two daily freight trips are run between Bristol West Depot and Wells. The first leaves Bristol at the unearthly hour of 3.50 a.m. and enters the branch at Yatton an hour later, over two hours before the first passenger train.
1961 May, Mark B. Warburton, “Yatton and its branches to Clevedon and Wells”, in Trains Illustrated, page 281:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| unearthliest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| unearthlier | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Translations (48)
el αλλόκοτος (strange or mysterious) · sv ojordisk (not of the earth; non-terrestrial) · el υπερφυσικός (preternatural or supernatural) · uk неземний (not of the earth; non-terrestrial) · sv övernaturlig (preternatural or supernatural) · pl nieprawdopodobny (ideal beyond the mundane) · pl nie z tego świata (not of the earth; non-terrestrial) · cs nepozemský (not of the earth; non-terrestrial) · pl niepojęty (ideal beyond the mundane) · ka არაამქვეყნიური (not of the earth; non-terrestrial) · hi अलौकिक (strange or mysterious) · cs tajemný (strange or mysterious) · ka არამიწიერი (strange or mysterious) · pl pozaziemski (not of the earth; non-terrestrial) · sv himmelsk (ideal beyond the mundane) · sv överjordisk (ideal beyond the mundane) · ka არამიწიერი (not of the earth; non-terrestrial) · cs nadpřirozený (preternatural or supernatural) · cs ulítlý (ridiculous) · ru неземной (not of the earth; non-terrestrial) · ka არაამქვეყნიური (strange or mysterious) · pl nieziemski (ideal beyond the mundane) · pt estranho (strange or mysterious) · hi अलौकिक (preternatural or supernatural) · bg неземен (not of the earth; non-terrestrial) · eo netera (not of the earth; non-terrestrial) · ka ზებუნებრივი (preternatural or supernatural) · pt sobrenatural (preternatural or supernatural) · ka არამიწიერი (preternatural or supernatural) · de überirdisch (preternatural or supernatural) · pl nadprzyrodzony (preternatural or supernatural) · bg мистериозен (strange or mysterious) · ka არაამქვეყნიური (preternatural or supernatural) · de unheimlich (strange or mysterious) · pl niepojęty (strange or mysterious) · sv mystisk (strange or mysterious) · ru неземной (preternatural or supernatural) · cs nezemský (strange or mysterious) · hi अलौकिक (not of the earth; non-terrestrial) · ru сверхъесте́ственный (preternatural or supernatural) · bg свръхестествен (preternatural or supernatural) · pl niewyobrażalny (ideal beyond the mundane) · pl nieziemski (not of the earth; non-terrestrial) · bg странен (strange or mysterious) · ka არამიწიერი (ideal beyond the mundane) · cs nadpozemský (preternatural or supernatural) · pt bizarro (strange or mysterious) · pl niestworzony (ridiculous)