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Synonym Chooser

How is the word carnal different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of carnal are animal, fleshly, and sensual. While all these words mean "having a relation to the body," carnal may mean only this but more often connotes derogatorily an action or manifestation of a person's lower nature.

a slave to carnal desires

When can animal be used instead of carnal?

While the synonyms animal and carnal are close in meaning, animal stresses the physical as distinguished from the rational nature of a person.

led a mindless animal existence

How do fleshly and carnal relate to one another?

Fleshly is less derogatory than carnal.

a saint who had experienced fleshly temptations

When is it sensible to use sensual instead of carnal?

While in some cases nearly identical to carnal, sensual may apply to any gratification of a bodily desire or pleasure but commonly implies sexual appetite with absence of the spiritual or intellectual.

fleshpots providing sensual delights

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of carnal Miranda, specifically, is in the middle of a three-month break from carnal knowledge. Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2025 Translating carnal attraction, magnetism, and deepening desire, Ropion says the fragrance is ripe with a flower that refuses to go unnoticed: tuberose. Essence, 24 Apr. 2025 This opulent unisex scent made for both men and women marries lush oud with velvety rose—along with equally sumptuous honey and saffron—for a carnal love potion designed for those who aren’t afraid to stand out. Mary Honkus, Glamour, 8 Apr. 2025 As a chronicle of carnal awakening, Dying for Sex, created by Kim Rosenstock and Elizabeth Meriwether based on true events detailed in the Wondery podcast of the same title, is unapologetically horny and refreshingly open-minded. Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for carnal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnal
Adjective
  • The play’s about choices, both mundane and gripping, and where those choices have taken the title character over her lifetime with children and three husbands.
    Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 30 June 2025
  • Even their most mundane activities, to Domoslay-Paul, were enchanting.
    Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • After the loss of her child, the woman was hospitalized due to her declining mental and physical health.
    Lauren-Kennedy Brown, Charlotte Observer, 27 June 2025
  • Social isolation, depression, and lack of physical activity are each risk factors for dementia.
    Brian Mastroianni, Health, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • Your sensual pleasure and romantic desires will never be the same again once Uranus enters mutable Gemini on July 7.
    Liz Simmons, StyleCaster, 24 June 2025
  • Misner’s sensual signature look speaks in service to the contours of the body, using draping techniques to extend and celebrate curves.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • While scholars like Resnik, Hosseini, Friesen, Floridi and Lin have proposed meaningful reforms, such as ethical AI education, diverse oversight and explainability principles, few focus on the evolving temporal relationship between humans and algorithms.
    Taposh Roy, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
  • For Lyell, the material and the organic worlds belong to categorically distinct temporal orders.
    Lewis Hyde, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • She was arraigned and charged with operating under the influence causing serious bodily injury, misleading a police investigation, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash causing personal injury.
    Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 24 June 2025
  • The charges include a Level 4 felony of operating while intoxicated causing death; Level 5 felonies of reckless homicide, criminal recklessness, driving while suspended causing death and Level 6 felonies of driving while suspended causing bodily injury and reckless driving.
    Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025
Adjective
  • In this framing, Earth’s challenges become just another set of engineering problems, solvable by recreating terrestrial conditions elsewhere.
    Dr. Alex Gold, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
  • The predominant color in both hotels is white, but as their names imply, Stella Nova is accented with cooler tones and starry vibes while Terra Nova has warmer, more terrestrial theming.
    Eve Chen, USA Today, 3 June 2025
Adjective
  • In 2022, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 paved the way for alternatives to animal testing, and in December 2023, an NIH advisory committee made similar recommendations to develop non-animal methods.
    Rachel Fobar, Vox, 14 May 2025
  • Rendering is a process that transforms animal by-products, like leftover meat and fats...and yes, chicken feet, into usable materials, such as animal feed, fuel, and other industrial products.
    Phil Kafarakis, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • The result is a project that transformed a site of heavenly aspirations into one of earthly delight.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 27 June 2025
  • Much like those on this earthly plane, the way to a spirit’s heart is through his or her stomach.
    Vanessa Anderson, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Carnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnal. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

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