earthly pleasure
1
5.1
- noun
- /ˈɜrθli ˈplɛʒər/
:
placer terrenal
- Many people seek happiness through earthly pleasures like good food and socializing with friends.
So there's the earthly pleasures, and then there's a domain of of things with which we interact, which lie beyond the earthly realm.
- So there's the earthly pleasures, and then there's a domain of of things with which we interact, which lie beyond the earthly realm.
Examples
-
In the tradition of Day of the Dead, celebrants believe that the dead return to delight in the earthly pleasures they enjoy while still alive.
Blog text (7) -
A lot of people think that religion is about denying earthly pleasure and urges.
-
You had six years of earthly pleasure.
-
Thank God that in Christ our joy is so much more full than simply enjoying earthly pleasure.
Blog text (14) -
No, these are earthly pleasures we enjoy while one is able.
-
He gave up the chief earthly pleasures like sex and meat.
Academic text (2008) -
It was like a certain physical gravity had entered me, pulling me closer to the earthly pleasures of life.
Fiction book (1995) -
We're not all destined to deny ourselves man's earthly pleasures.
-
Her parties were earthly pleasures, and Reedy enjoyed his earthly pleasures, perhaps too much.
Fiction book (1998) -
My heart's desire is to serve the Lord in full-time missions, and as I contemplate the challenges and hard tasks that will come my way this year, I can look forward to them knowing that the pursuit is much greater than any earthly pleasure or reward.
Blog text (34)
How Pleasurable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is a straightforward composition of 'earthly' (material/worldly) + 'pleasure' (enjoyment), so its meaning — enjoyment derived from worldly or physical experiences — is directly inferable from the parts. This adjective+noun pattern is cross-linguistically common and not idiomatic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will understand it.
Etymology
The phrase earthly pleasure comes from the simple image of enjoying things that come from the earthly world, like good food, warm beds and music, so the pleasure is from the body and the world, not from the spirit. That's why it means 'enjoyment from material or physical things'.