earthling

/ˈɜːθlɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · [ˈɚθlɪŋ] /ˈɜːrθlɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · [ˈɚθlɪŋ] /ˈərth-liŋ How to pronounce earthling (audio)/ (ame, mw)

earthling — 名詞

  • earthlingsingular
  • earthlingsplural

1. a human from Earth, especially in stories where an alien is talking about people

1.名詞C1
釋義

地球人

外星人口中的人類

a human from Earth, especially in stories where an alien is talking about people on this planet.

例句

The silver robot warned the earthlings to leave Mars before sunrise.

那個銀色機器人警告地球人要在日出前離開火星。

aliens calling humans earthlings

Captain Imani laughed when the pilot called her a brave earthling.

當那名飛行員叫她勇敢的地球人時，Imani 艦長笑了。

call someone an earthling

同義詞
  • human

    the normal everyday word, without the science-fiction tone

  • person

    broader and more neutral; it does not stress belonging to Earth

  • mortal

    literary or dramatic, often contrasting humans with gods

反義詞
  • alien

    a being from another world, often contrasted with an earthling in stories

  • extraterrestrial

    more formal scientific term for a non-Earth being

文法句型

call someone an earthling

fellow earthlings

earthling from Earth

用法筆記

Usually appears in science fiction or playful speech. Unlike sense 2, this sense often sounds as if the speaker is outside human society and is pointing out that someone comes from Earth.

常見錯誤

❌The report counted eight billion earthlings.
✅The report counted eight billion people living on Earth.
💡outside science fiction or joking speech, 'earthling' sounds playful or marked.

2. someone who lives on Earth, thought of as one member of the planet's human popul

2.名詞C1
釋義

地球居民

住在地球上的人

someone who lives on Earth, thought of as one member of the planet's human population.

例句

As earthlings, we all depend on clean air and safe water.

身為地球居民，我們都依靠乾淨的空氣和安全的水。

as earthlings

The essay asks what earthlings should do if they find life elsewhere.

那篇文章問的是，地球居民如果發現外星生命該怎麼做。

earthlings should + verb

同義詞
  • inhabitant

    formal and general; it can describe anyone living in a place

  • resident

    common for someone who lives in a particular place, often officially

  • human being

    the plain everyday expression, without the planet-wide framing

反義詞
  • Martian

    a being imagined as coming from Mars rather than Earth

  • alien

    a being from another planet, not from Earth

文法句型

earthlings should + verb

as earthlings

no earthling can + verb

用法筆記

Broader and more neutral than sense 1, though it is still less common than simply saying 'human being' or 'person'. Writers use it when they want to talk about humans as one group living on this planet.

常見錯誤

❌The Martian met an earthling from Jupiter.
✅The Martian met an earthling from Earth.
💡an earthling must belong to Earth, not to another planet.