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Earthling: meaning, definitions and examples

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earthling

 

[ ˈərθlɪŋ ]

Noun
Context #1 | Noun

in science fiction

A human inhabitant of the planet Earth.

Examples of usage

  • He was the only Earthling on the spaceship.
  • The Earthling looked up at the alien spacecraft in wonder.
Context #2 | Noun

informal

A person from Earth, especially when considered in relation to inhabitants of other planets.

Examples of usage

  • The Earthling marveled at the technology of the extraterrestrial beings.
  • She felt like a tiny Earthling in a vast universe.

Translations

Translations of the word "earthling" in other languages:

🇵🇹 terráqueo

🇮🇳 पृथ्वीवासी

🇩🇪 Erdling

🇮🇩 manusia bumi

🇺🇦 землянин

🇵🇱 ziemianin

🇯🇵 地球人 (ちきゅうじん)

🇫🇷 terrestre

🇪🇸 terráqueo

🇹🇷 dünya sakini

🇰🇷 지구인 (jigu-in)

🇸🇦 أرضي

🇨🇿 pozemšťan

🇸🇰 pozemšťan

🇨🇳 地球人 (dìqiú rén)

🇸🇮 zemljan

🇮🇸 jarðarbúi

🇰🇿 жер тұрғыны

🇬🇪 დედამიწელი

🇦🇿 yerli sakin

🇲🇽 terráqueo

Etymology

The term 'Earthling' originated in science fiction literature in the mid-20th century to refer to humans as inhabitants of the planet Earth. It is a combination of 'Earth' and the suffix '-ling,' which denotes a person belonging to a particular place or group. The concept of Earthlings has since been popularized in popular culture, especially in the context of space exploration and encounters with extraterrestrial beings.

See also: earth, earthen, earthenware, earthing, earthly, earthmover, earthquake, earthworm, earthy, unearth, unearthing.

Word Frequency Rank

At position #40,761, this word is among the less frequently used terms in English. While interesting to know, it's not crucial for most English learners unless needed for specific purposes.