bodily

1 of 2

adjective

bodi·​ly ˈbä-də-lē 

1

: having a body : physical

2

: of or relating to the body

bodily comfort

bodily organs

bodily

2 of 2

adverb

1

a

: in the flesh

b

: in a manner that involves physically moving someone's body

The blast lifted him bodily into the air.

Jerry Wexler called him a "parasite" and threw him bodily out of his office.

—Jack Kroll

2

: as a whole : altogether

Synonyms

Adjective

• physical

Examples of bodily in a Sentence

Adjective

The victim suffered serious bodily injury.

the old man suffered from a number of bodily ailments

Adverb

The blast lifted him bodily into the air.

The house will have to be moved bodily to the new site.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Sumpter was charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors, including assault likely to produce great bodily injury, battery with serious bodily injury and dissuading a witness, Butte County public records show. —Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2025

Tyler Robinson was also arrested on charges of obstruction of justice and the felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury, authorities said. —Bobby Allyn, NPR, 14 Sep. 2025

Adverb

Throwing bodily fluids on people is just gross. —Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025

Participants’ heart rates were higher during the hot class, but that extra cardiovascular stress didn’t translate to more bodily work overall. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 4 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for bodily

• caudally

Kids Definition

bodily

1 of 2 adjective

bodi·​ly ˈbäd-ᵊl-ē 

: of or relating to the body : physical

bodily

2 of 2 adverb

1

: in the flesh : by the body

removed them bodily

2

: as a whole : entirely

Medical Definition

bodily

adjective

bodi·​ly ˈbäd-ᵊl-ē 

: of or relating to the body

bodily organs