What does earthily mean?
Earthly describes anything connected with the earth, the physical world, or material life. Its characteristic contrast is with the spiritual or heavenly: earthly pleasures are bodily or worldly, while earthly concerns occupy practical, material, or mundane attention. The word can also imply mortality, as in the phrase “earthly remains,” which refers to the physical remains of a dead person. These meanings overlap, since human life is both material and temporary. Earthly appears frequently in religious, literary, philosophical, and reflective writing, especially when discussing the tension between worldly interests and spiritual values. It is also used in less elevated contexts to distinguish practical or legal interests from more abstract ones. Though a fairly familiar word, it is more expressive and literary than the plainer term “physical” and often suggests transience, human limitation, or a focus on life in this world.
adjectiveRelating to the earth or the physical world, especially as opposed to spiritual or heavenly matters. It can also mean worldly, concerned with material life, or, in literary use, mortal and subject to death.
- Relating to the earth, the physical world, or material life.
- Worldly or concerned with earthly affairs rather than spiritual ones.
- Mortal and therefore destined to die, especially in literary or archaic usage.
"The novel explores the conflict between earthly pleasures and spiritual devotion."
"The poem contrasts the permanence of stone with the fleeting pleasures of earthly life."
"As treasurer, she was less concerned with earthly glory than with the practical needs of the community."
“Earthly” can mean worldly, mortal, or both—its sharpest contrast is with “heavenly.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does earthily come from?
Earthly developed in Middle English from Old English eorþe, meaning “earth,” together with the suffix -ly. The underlying noun belongs to the Germanic family of words for the world or soil; related forms include German irdisch and Dutch aardsch, both meaning “earthly.” English formed its own adjective in the Middle English period and eventually settled into the modern spelling “earthly.”
Related word forms
How earthily is actually used
The word is especially common in literary, religious, and philosophical contexts. It often carries a contrast with spiritual, moral, or heavenly concerns, while the sense meaning “mortal” is now literary or archaic.
Easily confused with earthily
Earthly relates to the physical world, mortality, or material life, whereas earthy usually describes soil-like qualities, naturalness, or an unaffected manner.