earthly

earthly
earthen, earthly, earthy
Earthen is used only in the physical sense ‘made of earth’ (either soil, or clay as in earthenware):

• No city or government wants to build earthen structures or allow them to be built —New Scientist, 1971.

Earthly has two meanings, (1) denoting the earth or human life on earth, as distinct from heavenly

• (They set themselves the difficult task of disentangling this cosmic dust from the earthly sort —Economist, 1991)

and (2) as an intensifying word in informal use in negative contexts

• (A trainee is no earthly use in here at all —M. Frayn, 1969).

Earthy means (1) ‘of or like the earth or soil’, (2) figuratively, ‘somewhat coarse or crude’:

• My friend Lindsey said I was consumed with earthy desires and unable to reach the higher planes —S. Rowbotham, 1985

• In one direction only a little earthy bank separates me from the edge of the ocean —R. Sale et al., 1991

• Ian McEwan is our only real native rival in telling the earthy, inside story of contemporary life —Express, 2007.


Modern English usage. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • earthly — earthly, terrestrial, earthy, mundane, worldly, sublunary are comparable when they mean of, belonging to, or characteristic of the earth. Earthly is used chiefly in opposition to heavenly {earthly love} {the earthly paradise} {if I have told you… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Earthly — Earth ly, a. 1. Pertaining to the earth; belonging to this world, or to man s existence on the earth; not heavenly or spiritual; carnal; worldly; as, earthly joys; earthly flowers; earthly praise. [1913 Webster] This earthly load Of death, called …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • earthly — [ʉrth′lē] adj. 1. of the earth; specif., a) terrestrial b) worldly c) temporal or secular 2. conceivable; possible [a thing of no earthly good] earthliness n. SYN. EARTHLY is applied to that which belongs to …   English World dictionary

  • Earthly — Earth ly, adv. In the manner of the earth or its people; worldly. [1913 Webster] Took counsel from his guiding eyes To make this wisdom earthly wise. Emerson. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • earthly — (adj.) O.E. eorþlic earthly, worldly; see EARTH (Cf. earth) + LY (Cf. ly) (1) …   Etymology dictionary

  • earthly — [adj1] physically concerning land or its inhabitants alluvial, carnal, corporeal, geotic, global, human, in all creation, material, mortal, mundane, nonspiritual, physical, profane, secular, subastral, sublunary, tellurian, telluric, temporal,… …   New thesaurus

  • earthly — ► ADJECTIVE 1) relating to the earth or human life on the earth. 2) material; worldly. 3) informal used for emphasis; there was no earthly reason to rush. DERIVATIVES earthliness noun …   English terms dictionary

  • earthly — index material (physical), mundane, physical Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • earthly — [[t]ɜ͟ː(r)θli[/t]] 1) ADJ: ADJ n Earthly means happening in the material world of our life on earth and not in any spiritual life or life after death. ...the need to confront evil during the earthly life... They lived in an earthly paradise. 2)… …   English dictionary

  • earthly — earthliness, n. /errth lee/, adj., earthlier, earthliest. 1. of or pertaining to the earth, esp. as opposed to heaven; worldly. 2. possible or conceivable: an invention of no earthly use to anyone. [bef. 1000; ME erth(e)ly, OE eorthlic. See EARTH …   Universalium

  • earthly — earth•ly [[t]ˈɜrθ li[/t]] adj. li•er, li•est 1) of or pertaining to the earth, esp. as opposed to heaven; worldly 2) possible or conceivable: an invention of no earthly use to anyone[/ex] • Etymology: bef. 1000 earth′li•ness, n. syn: earthly,… …   From formal English to slang

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