extraterrestrial

[ ek-struh-tuh-res-tree-uhl ]

adjective

1. outside, or originating outside, the limits of the earth:

   People on earth have long speculated about the idea of extraterrestrial life.

   Cataclysmic wildfires could be expected if earth were to take an extraterrestrial hit.

noun

1. a being originating from beyond the earth; an alien from outer space:

   It was your typical sci-fi novel about extraterrestrials conquering the earth.

extraterrestrial

/ ˌɛkstrətɪˈrɛstrɪəl /

adjective

1. occurring or existing beyond the earth's atmosphere

noun

1. (in science fiction) a being from beyond the earth's atmosphere

extraterrestrial

/ ĕk′strə-tə-rĕs′trē-əl /

1. Originating, located, or occurring outside the Earth or its atmosphere.

extraterrestrial

1. A descriptive term for things outside the Earth , such as possible civilizations outside the solar system , or objects, such as meteorites , that actually reach the Earth.

Other Words From

• ex·tra·ter·res·tri·al·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of extraterrestrial¹

First recorded in 1865–70; extra- + terrestrial

Example Sentences

The danger of “Heretic” is nothing extraterrestrial, but rather the most common and mundane of earthly predators: a man.

From Los Angeles Times

So does Helen Lundeberg, whose familiar architectural geometries in landscape paintings get an unexpected twist in three 1960s canvases inspired by extraterrestrial musings.

From Los Angeles Times

That applied not only to pilots’ reports of objects that seemed to have displayed unusual aeronautical behavior, but a farrago of reports in the press, online, and among committed UFO believers about purportedly secret government programs to collect, examine and even attempt to reverse-engineer technology supposedly retrieved from crashed extraterrestrial UAPs.

From Los Angeles Times

This is not to say that Barnard b itself is a candidate for extraterrestrial life.

From Salon

There are other surface pleasures to enjoy in “Alien: Romulus,” including the stunningly rich cinematography by Galo Olivares and the scuffed-up and worn interiors lit with glowing reds, shiny with extraterrestrial mucus.

From Los Angeles Times