Meanings
on earth1
- Expletive used for emphasis after an interrogative word.
What on earth does he want?
5 more examples
How on earth did you manage to pull that off?
Who on earth would do such a thing?
Really, if the lower orders don’t set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility.
1895, Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest […] , [Act I]A. Fink-Nottle: But it's absolute balderdash, Bertie. I mean, listen to this: "Sure and begorrah, I don't know what's after being the matter with you, Michael." I mean, what on earth is this "what's after being" stuff mean? B.W. Wooster: My dear old Gussie, that is how people think Irish people talk.
1992 April 26, “Hot Off the Press”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 3, Episode 5How on earth are we supposed to hold our heads high as the 'mother of parliaments' when we allow to continue the practice of almost openly buying a seat in parliament?
2013 October 31, Rowena Mason, quoting David Steel, “Lord Steel criticises culture of spin and tweeting in modern politics”, in The Guardian, →ISSNSynonyms: on God's green earth, earthly
on Earth2
- Alternative letter-case form of on earth.
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseExpletive used for emphasis after an interrogative word.
Translations
Catalan dimonis, diables
- dimonisexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- diablesexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Chinese Mandarin 究竟, 到底
- 究竟 (jiūjìng)expletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- 到底 (dàodǐ)expletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Danish i alverden
- i alverdenexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Dutch in vredesnaam, in hemelsnaam
- in vredesnaamexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- in hemelsnaamexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- in godsnaamexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Esperanto en la mondo
- en la mondoexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Finnish ihme, kumma
- ihmeexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- kummaexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
French diable, donc
- diableexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- doncexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
German in Gottes Namen, in Herrgotts Namen
- in Gottes Namenexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- in Herrgotts Namenexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- in aller Weltexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- um alles in der Weltexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- um Himmels willenexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- um Himmels Willenexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Italian mai
- maiexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Japanese 一体, 自体
- 一体expletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- 自体expletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- 一体全体expletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Korean 도대체, 대체
- 도대체 (dodaeche)expletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- 대체 (daeche)expletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Norwegian i all verden
- i all verdenexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Polish na Boga, -ż
- na Bogaexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- -żexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- jakim cudemexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Portuguese diabos, raios
- diabosexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- raiosexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Romanian Dumnezeu, doamne
- Dumnezeuexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
- doamneexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Russian вообще́
- вообще́ (voobščé)expletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Swedish i hela världen
- i hela världenexpletive giving emphasis after interrogative word
Cite this entry
on earth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20earth
“on earth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20earth. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on earth,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20earth.
Source: on earth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.