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 of bodily

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

Whereas insurance coverage on the average passenger car might be as low as fifteen thousand dollars per bodily injury, tractor-trailers often carry policies worth at least a million dollars, offering the prospect of a much bigger payout. —Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026

Both have also been charged with several other felony charges, including child neglect with great bodily harm, tampering with physical evidence, failure to report death to a medical examiner, and knowingly providing false information to law enforcement during investigation. —Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026

Adverb

The records also show Renfro is facing several other charges from previous cases, including assault causing bodily injury, assault causing bodily injury-family violence, evading arrest or detention, and continuous violence against the family. —Doug Myers, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026

There is also growing interest in embodied cognition, the idea that bodily states influence mental processes. —Atom Sarkar, The Conversation, 27 Jan. 2026

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