unearthly

/ˈʌnˌʌrθli/

/ənˈʌtθli/

Unearthly describes something supernatural — a person or object that seems to come from another world. Unearthly beings are usually mysterious and can sometimes be scary, like the aliens you might see in a science fiction movie.

When unearthly was first used in the early 1600s, it meant "heavenly, sublime," a combination of un, meaning "not," and earthly. Unearthly can still be used is to describe something spiritual or having to do with the soul. If you feel an unearthly presence while walking in a cemetery at night, it might be a visitor from "the other side."

Definitions of unearthly

1. adjective

   suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
   “an unearthly light”

   “"he could hear the unearthly scream of some curlew piercing the din"- Henry Kingsley”

   synonyms: eldritch, uncanny, weird

   supernatural

   not existing in nature or subject to explanation according to natural laws; not physical or material
2. adjective

   concerned with or affecting the spirit or soul
   “unearthly love”

   synonyms: spiritual

   unworldly

   not concerned with the temporal world or swayed by mundane considerations