Terrestrial: meaning, definitions and examples

Use this word when referring to anything related to the Earth, often in a scientific or environmental context.

• Scientists study both terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
• The terrestrial animals adapted to life on land.

This word is often used to describe something worldly or material, as opposed to spiritual or heavenly matters.

• He sought earthly pleasures and riches.
• She had no earthly idea what the solution might be.

Typically used to describe any activity, technology, or organism that operates or exists on land, often to distinguish it from those in the air or sea.

• Land-based tourism offers a different experience compared to cruise vacations.
• Land-based animals face different survival challenges than those in aquatic environments.

This term is used primarily in technological or military contexts to describe systems, equipment, or activities that are based on or operate from the ground.

• The ground-based radar system can detect incoming missiles.
• Ground-based telescopes are important for astronomical observations.

Used in scientific or formal contexts to describe things related to the Earth or land, as opposed to water or space.

• The researchers studied terrestrial ecosystems
• The satellite provided detailed images of terrestrial landscapes

Common in science fiction to refer to inhabitants of Earth, often contrasting them with extraterrestrial beings.

• The alien addressed the humans as earthlings
• Earthlings are not used to living on other planets

Describes inhabitants of the land, often used to differentiate from those living in water or flying species.

• Unlike fish, land dwellers have lungs to breathe air
• Birds are not land dwellers; they prefer to fly

Historical term from Elizabethan theater referring to people who watched plays from the pit, implying a lower social status. Rarely used in modern contexts.

• The groundlings were always noisy during the performances
• In Shakespeare’s time, groundlings paid a penny to stand and watch the plays