flat earther
- noun
- /flæt ˈɜrθər/
- Informal
- Many flat earthers believe that the Earth's shape is part of a larger conspiracy.
How do you handle a flat earther?
- How do you handle a flat earther?
- OK, you can say what is here you go ready holding flat earthers aside, but I assume you agree that Earth is spherical.
- This is crazier than flat earther stuff because even like one those people aren't changing legislation.
Examples
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Did you know that there are flat earthers out there?
Blog text (8) -
Have you ever seen a genuine Flat Earther even on the internet?
Blog text (10) -
And Alaska is the home of one of the major 'Flat Earthers'—remember her?
Blog text (25) -
None of the folks mentioned above are flat earthers, a designation more descriptive of the alarmist crowd.
Blog text (32) -
When skeptics made essentially these very same statements just a few months ago, they were either censored or patronizingly put down as denialists and flat earthers.
Blog text (20) -
In discussions about science, some people are surprised to learn that flat earthers exist.
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Flat earthers often gather online to share their beliefs about the shape of the Earth.
Synonyms
A person who thinks powerful people secretly plan important events
A person who believes the Earth is flat
A person who believes hidden groups control events and tells others
A person who believes the Earth is flat
Relating to people who believe or spread ideas that official stories about events are false
A person who believes secret groups control events without proof
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'flat' (having a plane surface) combined with the person-forming element (‑er) referring to the Earth yields 'a person who believes the Earth is flat'. This adjective + person pattern is transparent and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Flat earther comes from the clear image of the world as a flat plate or pancake, and earther simply means a person connected to the Earth. So today flat earther means 'a person who believes the Earth is flat', often used for people who share that idea in groups or online.