unearthly

[ uhn-urth-lee ]

adjective

1. seeming not to belong to this earth or world:

   unearthly beauty.

2. supernatural; ghostly; unnaturally strange; weird:

   an unearthly scream.

   Synonyms: spectral, preternatural

3. out of the ordinary; unreasonable or absurd:

   to get up at an unearthly hour.

unearthly

/ ʌnˈɜːθlɪ /

adjective

1. ghostly; eerie; weird

   unearthly screams

2. heavenly; sublime

   unearthly music

3. ridiculous or unreasonable (esp in the phrase unearthly hour )

Derived Forms

• unˈearthliness, noun

Other Words From

• un·earthli·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of unearthly¹

First recorded in 1605–15; un- ¹ + earthly

Synonym Study

See weird.

Example Sentences

“It was going to be almost a vocal earthwork,” said Aitken, who tends to think and speak in floating, unearthly concepts.

From Los Angeles Times

I may have dozed just lightly when an unearthly moan jarred me awake.

From Literature

They did not leave disappointed as the sun shrank to a crescent-like sliver of light that cast an unearthly pale gloom over the city.

From BBC

That led to a weekslong hunt and an even longer court battle over an unusual question: Who owns an unearthly object that falls to Earth?

From New York Times

The unearthly cry twanged the air again, but this time Razi wasn’t afraid.

From Literature