unearthly
/ʌnˈəːθli
/adjective (unearthlier, unearthliest)
1Unnatural or mysterious, especially in a disturbing way: unearthly quiet...
- They attempt to explore every avenue, but don't have any problems accepting that this mystery might have a unearthly solution.
- There was something strange in that moment when she looked at him, something unearthly and mysterious.
- His dark eyes seemed to be contemplating unearthly mysteries, which is an unusual sight in one so young.
Synonyms
other-worldly, not of this world, supernatural, preternatural, extraterrestrial, alien;
ghostly, spectral, phantom, mysterious, haunted, chilling, spine-chilling, hair-raising, blood-curdling;
uncanny, eerie, macabre, strange, weird, unnatural, bizarre;
Scottish eldritch
informal spooky, creepy, scary
rare phantasmal, phantasmic
2 informal Unreasonably early or inconvenient: a job which involves getting up at an unearthly hour...
- I was up at the unearthly hour of 4.30 a.m. to catch an early flight to Paris.
- I had to go to Oxenholme Station at some unearthly hour of the morning to collect from the security men a press pass which would let me follow the Queen around when she toured Westmorland later that day.
- The other forms relate to threats following a feud between two families, abuses or dialing at unearthly hours and disconnecting before the call is through.
Synonyms
unreasonable, preposterous, abnormal, extraordinary, absurd, ridiculous, horrendous, outrageous, unheard of, out of the ordinary
informal ungodly, unholy, God-awful
Derivatives
unearthliness
- We get the point fairly early on, but it can't be repeated often enough: Jonah's voice is good to the point of unearthliness.
- It was almost as if, no matter where he went he carried an air of unearthliness around.
- The film lacked the darkness and unearthliness of the serialised version.