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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 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 Miranda, specifically, is in the middle of a three-month break from carnal knowledge. Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2025 Modern filmmaking gets no better than Hernández’s balance of carnal and mundane conduct — Marco and Orlando’s physical yearning matches their career ambitions. Armond White, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for carnal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnal
Adjective
  • The pair’s fight is fueled by the mundane (a busted dinner party) and the profound (Mark’s addiction, Dawn’s codependence, the constant pressure of professional fighting).
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Between food prep and costume store runs, the magic of Halloween can quickly become mundane.
    Parents Editors, Parents, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Green Hill plans to help restart Smith Springs financially, provide manpower for physical work and could potentially have some of its congregants move to Smith Springs Baptist, officials said.
    Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Harbaugh wants to be a physical team.
    Daniel Popper, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • While on The Tonight Show, Swift appeared shy when discussing the song’s lyrics, ducking her head down as the house band the Roots began playing a sensual tune.
    Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Bieber’s iteration on the trend elevated the style to a cheeky, high-fashion moment with feminine touches and sensual edge.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This temporal displacement frees Pynchon to offer sidelong commentary on contemporary politics without getting trapped in the flux of the present or being too on the nose.
    Jack Denton, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
  • To practice ‘future temporal focused’ networking, create a timetable and ask yourself key questions.
    Sarah Maokosy, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Sanchez was charged with felony battery involving serious bodily injury on Monday.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Originally, Ascher and Fraker were each charged with one count of failure to act to prevent bodily harm to a child, a felony that could have resulted in as much as six-year prison sentences.
    Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Unistellar plans to have over 1 million terrestrial points of interest added to its database, with Envision including real-time altitude, distance and azimuth data into the display.
    Tariq Malik, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025
  • He was instantly hooked by Channel 4’s weekly NFL coverage following the terrestrial channel’s launch in 1982.
    Peter Carline, New York Times, 10 Oct. 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
  • Co-written by Bentley with Greg Kwedar (the primary creative team behind ‘Sing Sing’), ‘Train Dreams’ thrives on its philosophical inquiries into the earthly randomness of events that make up a life.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Especially right now, when most of whatever happens next would seem to be determined by arbitrary and despotic centers of earthly power.
    James Parker, The Atlantic, 7 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Carnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnal. Accessed 12 Oct. 2025.

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