terrestrial

adjective

tə-ˈre-st(r)ē-əl How to pronounce terrestrial (audio)
Definition of terrestrialnext
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 The firm manages the cable’s arrival on France’s Atlantic coast and integrates it into Europe’s terrestrial network. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026 Either answer could offer new insights into the planet's evolution and the events that shaped the terrestrial planets like Earth billions of years ago, mission team members say. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 18 Oct. 2026 That’s why the stocks reacted, because people finally came to terms with the fact that Elon is actually going to build a terrestrial network. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2026 Too aquatic for roads, yet too terrestrial for boats, boglands remain some of the most remote and difficult landscapes to access. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for terrestrial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrestrial
  1. temporal
  2. mundane
  3. physical
  4. everyday
  5. animal
  6. earthly
Adjective
  • Blending 1970s sci-fi aesthetics with a timeless world where cell phones are the only markers of temporal difference, the film blurs the boundaries between memory, history and the supernatural.
    — Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The team tested whether the hardware could distinguish temporal patterns using four consecutive input signals that could each be switched on or off.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of temporal
Adjective
  • Natalie Dattilo Psychologist Between regular exposure to the mundane and increased access to everything else, worries stack — and so does stress and anxiety.
    — Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Even Santos’ mundane stories sound like character-building arcs in a rugged epic, never mind the ones involving animal run-ins.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of mundane
Adjective
  • Her physical absence changes nothing about the circumstances of our friendship.
    — Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • This is just a normal part of growing older, according to conventional wisdom, as if aging were a one-way street of physical decline.
    — Leana S. Wen, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of physical
Adjective
  • Lula can point to low unemployment and easing inflation, but those indicators have not changed perceptions for households struggling with everyday prices.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
  • By heating food using electromagnetic energy, microwave ovens made reheating and quick meal preparation easier, changing everyday cooking habits across much of the world.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of everyday
Adjective
  • Vegetable Oils Vegetable and seed oils are some of the richest non-animal dietary sources of CoQ10.
    — Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 16 July 2026
  • Computer models and other non-animal testing methods still aren’t the best available science, critics contend.
    — Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026
Definition of animal
Adjective
  • Outside stands a statue of an infirm John Paul II leaning on his papal staff — a reminder of the pontiffs who have been treated here, and of their earthly frailty.
    — Claudio Lavanga, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The community advocated a spiritual life and represented their idea of an earthly paradise.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of earthly

Browse Nearby Words

terrenes
terrestrial
terrible
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Terrestrial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrestrial. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All