carnal

adjective

car·nal ˈkär-nᵊl

Synonyms of carnal next

: relating to or given to crude bodily pleasures and appetites

gluttony and other carnal activities

: marked by sexuality

carnal love

: bodily, corporeal

seen with carnal eyes

: temporal

carnal weapons

the superiority of the spiritual and eternal over the carnal—

H. O. Taylor

: worldly

a carnal mind

carnality

kär-ˈna-lə-tē

noun

carnally

ˈkär-nə-lē

adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for carnal

carnal, fleshly, sensual, animal 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.

gave in to carnal desires

fleshly is less derogatory than carnal.

a saint who had experienced fleshly temptations

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

animal stresses the physical as distinguished from the rational nature of a person.

led a mindless animal existence

Example Sentences

the preacher warned that those who were interested only in carnal pursuits would not see the kingdom of heaven a missionary who tends to the carnal needs of the people as well as to their spiritual concerns

Recent Examples on the Web The wafting, carnal nightmare grows more literal-minded as the final bows are tied. —

Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2023 In the 2019 film, the beautiful bodies belong to Matthias Schoenaerts and a wild horse; in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, Emma Corrin and Jack O’Connell steam up the screen as kindred spirits ignited by carnal passion. —

Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Sep. 2022 So palpable, greedy, and carnal. —

WIRED, 22 Nov. 2022 But for his public, the problem with the photo was the optics of carnal sin—the attractive young woman who was not his wife, the recreational drinking, the unzipped pants—none of which would be acceptable at Liberty University, where coed dancing is penalized with a demerit. —

Elizabeth Spiers, The New York Review of Books, 20 Aug. 2020 Not in the carnal sense; go crazy there. —

Tony Quiroga, Car and Driver, 15 Nov. 2022 This is the question hanging over Season Two, which finds Billie and her bestie Sasha (Margaret Odette) trying to balance carnal desire with practical dilemmas most humans would kill to have. —

Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2023 Martens said in a press release following the show), the clothing should probably also elicit a bit of carnal desire. —

Tara Gonzalez, Harper's BAZAAR, 23 Feb. 2023 Emma Corrin and Jack O’Connell steam up the screen as kindred spirits ignited by carnal passion in Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s sharp and sensuous adaptation of the D.H. Lawrence novel about an upper-class woman’s affair with a working-class man. —

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Sep. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carnal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Late Latin; Anglo-French carnel, charnel, from Late Latin carnalis, from Latin carn-, caro flesh; akin to Greek keirein to cut — more at shear

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of carnal was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century