earth synonyms

earth

n.

  1. The world

    globe, sphere, planet, universe, terra (Latin), mundane world, creation, terrestrial sphere, orb, monde (French), cosmos, sublunary world, biosphere, Gaea, mother earth, Spaceship Earth.

  2. The earthly crust

    dirt, soil, clean dirt, loam, humus, clay, gravel, sand, ground, terra firma, land, dry land, terrain, mud, muck, topsoil, peat moss, fill, compost, decomposed granite, turf, mold, alluvium, marl, terrane, surface, subsoil, shore, coast, littoral, deposit, glebe.

earth is applied to the globe or planet we live on, but in religious use is opposed to heaven or hell; universe refers to the whole system of planets, stars, space, etc. and to everything that exists in it; world is equivalent to earth, esp. as relates to human activities, but is sometimes a generalized synonym for universe

come back <strong>or </strong>down to earth

be practical, be sensible, return to one's senses, quit dreaming; see awake 1, calm down.

down to earth

practical, realistic, mundane, unpretentious; see practical, rational 1, unaffected 1.

on earth

of all things, of everything, in the world; see whatever.

Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.