1
as in mundane
having to do with life on earth especially as opposed to that in heaven
the preacher warned that those who were interested only in carnal pursuits would not see the kingdom of heaven
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in physical
of or relating to the human body
a missionary who tends to the carnal needs of the people as well as to their spiritual concerns
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sensual
pleasing to the physical senses
carnal attractions of that gambling mecca in the desert
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of carnal
Each issue centers around the bonds that women form with each other, and in this case, forged vis-à-vis a carnal and violent bloodbath.
—
Tiffany Leigh, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
Uma doesn’t have a domestic bone in her body, and Gopal seems unable even to undress in front of his wife, let alone have anything resembling carnal relations.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 May 2025
Decades later, Erika bears a carnal attraction to her Uncle Fritz (Martin Rother), an amputee who lies withering in pain in his bedroom.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025
But the texting and blocking, the free-for-all backwaters of the internet and the carnal shenanigans that color contemporary TV teendom do put a different complexion on growing up.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for carnal
Tiffany Leigh, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
Uma doesn’t have a domestic bone in her body, and Gopal seems unable even to undress in front of his wife, let alone have anything resembling carnal relations.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 May 2025
Decades later, Erika bears a carnal attraction to her Uncle Fritz (Martin Rother), an amputee who lies withering in pain in his bedroom.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025
But the texting and blocking, the free-for-all backwaters of the internet and the carnal shenanigans that color contemporary TV teendom do put a different complexion on growing up.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for carnal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnal
Adjective
-
The Incredibles films follow the daily lives of the Parr family, a household of superheroes trying to hide their powers while navigating a mundane life that occasionally beckons for more.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
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In recent months, part of that strategy has extended to agentic AI, which—when deployed at scale—is meant to handle routine, mundane tasks autonomously with little input from human employees.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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So commences a night of harrowing encounters and trauma both physical and mental, starting with Ron and Mike’s trip to meet Oliver at a bar after one of his shows.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Perez does not break down training into physical and tactical work, instead designing complex exercises so players build fitness while practising real-game situations.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Taylor opted to go sans top beneath the jacket, heightening the commanding sensual style.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
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The trumpets lend a romantic, even sensual touch to this anthem of desperate love, complemented by the vocals of Ricardo Yocupicio and Geovanni Mondragón and the rest of the instrumentation, which includes the essential tuba, clarinets, and horns.—
Luisa Calle,
Billboard,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Without temporal permanence, hallucinations inherited from their past selves are accepted as true, and can begin to compound.—
Tharin Pillay,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The novella lacks the temporal markers that indicate how much time has passed between episodes and exhibits an abundance of characters with ruptured psyches.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The abduction must pose a credible threat of imminent danger, serious bodily injury or death to the child, according to DPS.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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Jury also found true allegations that Bazyan caused great bodily injury and used a knife in the attacks.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Like terrestrial monsters, evil aliens are often stand-ins for real-life anxieties.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Now, industry eyerolling at the thought of listening faster has existed since the majority of audio storytelling moved from terrestrial radio—where there’s no skipping, scrubbing forward or backward, and certainly no way to speed things up—to podcasting.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Not quite plant, not quite animal; delicious and wild and rare.—
Callie Sumlin,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 Oct. 2025
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, dogs were more likely to respond to animal stimuli than to non-animal stimuli.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 July 2025
Adjective
-
That was one last flourish of self-laceration, and there is definitely a matching strain of masochism in Hopkins—not so much a relish of suffering as a rueful acknowledgment that earthly woe is our due.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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That was one last flourish of self-laceration, and there is definitely a matching strain of masochism in Hopkins—not so much a relish of suffering as a rueful acknowledgment that earthly woe is our due.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Carnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnal. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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