Standard Lemma guide

earthy

adj · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɜː.θi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈɝθi/
  • rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)θi
  • CMU ARPABET: ER1 TH IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Resembling dirt or soil (i.e. earth).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The earthy smell of fresh turned loam told me the farmer had started plowing this morning, the definitive sign of spring for me.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: terreous

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Composed, or largely composed, of soil.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Down-to-earth, not artificial, natural.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • She was an earthy soul, the salt of the earth as they say of such rural folk, untarnished by false civilization.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Coarse and unrefined, crude.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • earthy humour

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Like or resembling the earth or of the earth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Covered with earth (mud, dirt).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective

Meaning 7

of or consisting of or resembling earth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • it had an earthy smell
  • only a little earthy bank separates me from the edge of the ocean

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

conspicuously and tastelessly indecent

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • coarse language
  • a crude joke
  • crude behavior
  • an earthy sense of humor
  • a revoltingly gross expletive
  • a vulgar gesture
  • full of language so vulgar it should have been edited

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crude, gross, vulgar

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

hearty and lusty

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an earthy enjoyment of life

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective satellite

Meaning 10

not far removed from or suggestive of nature

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the earthy taste of warm milk fresh from the cow
  • earthy smells of new-mown grass

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective satellite

Meaning 11

sensible and practical

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • has a straightforward down-to-earth approach to a problem
  • her earthy common sense

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: down-to-earth

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English erthy, equivalent to earth + -y. Compare German erdig (“earthy”), Swedish jordig (“earthy”).

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: почвен (počven) — resembling dirt or soil
  • Bulgarian: пръстен (prǎsten) — resembling dirt or soil
  • Dutch: aardeachtig — resembling dirt or soil
  • Dutch: aards — resembling dirt or soil
  • French: terreux — resembling dirt or soil
  • Galician: terreiro — resembling dirt or soil
  • German: erdig — resembling dirt or soil
  • Latin: terreus — resembling dirt or soil
  • Portuguese: terroso — resembling dirt or soil
  • Russian: земляной (zemljanoj) — resembling dirt or soil
  • Russian: землистый (zemlistyj) — resembling dirt or soil
  • Ottoman Turkish: طوپراقلو (topraklı) — resembling dirt or soil
  • Bulgarian: груб (grub) — down to earth
  • Bulgarian: естествен (estestven) — down to earth
  • Dutch: met de voeten op de grond — down to earth
  • Dutch: natuurlijk — down to earth
  • Russian: непосредственный (neposredstvennyj) — down to earth
  • Russian: земной (zemnoj) — down to earth
  • Russian: житейский (žitejskij) — down to earth
  • Russian: грубый (grubyj) — (figurative) coarse and unrefined, crude
  • Bulgarian: земен (zemen) — resembling or of the earth
  • Dutch: aardeachtig — resembling or of the earth
  • Italian: corposo — resembling or of the earth