as in obsessive
extremely or overly neat, careful, or precise
I've always been anal about arranging my books alphabetically by author.
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Recent Examples of anal
Sitz Baths Soak your anal area by sitting in a shallow bath of plain warm water for 10 to 15 minutes, two or three times a day.
—
Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 5 Sep. 2025
That means STIs can also cause throat, genital and anal infections.
—Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
How did Farrah Fawcett die? After living with anal cancer for three years, Fawcett died from the illness on June 25, 2009.
—Alyssa Davis, People.com, 25 June 2025
Allen Ginsberg pops up here, once while reciting best practices for anal hygiene.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anal
Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 5 Sep. 2025
That means STIs can also cause throat, genital and anal infections.
—Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
How did Farrah Fawcett die? After living with anal cancer for three years, Fawcett died from the illness on June 25, 2009.
—Alyssa Davis, People.com, 25 June 2025
Allen Ginsberg pops up here, once while reciting best practices for anal hygiene.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anal
Adjective
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Without Jamie Lloyd’s cameras there to do close-ups, Scherzinger played the anti-heroine just a little less for obsessive mania and more for pure Barbra-style butter.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
2 Nov. 2025
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Lillard is perhaps known for portraying Stu Macher — one-half of the horror-obsessive-turned-serial-killing duo, alongside Skeet Ulrich’s Billy Loomis — in the 1996 original, which has since spawned a decades-long franchise.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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When asked about his name being mentioned as this season’s coaching carnage continues, Danielson — a native of Southern California and graduate of Azusa Pacific University east of Los Angeles — remained adamant in his commitment to Boise State.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
30 Oct. 2025
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But Díaz-Balart, who sits on the House appropriations committee that helps draft spending bills, insists Republicans won’t cave to demands and is adamant short-term extensions are not the solution.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Many residents favor stricter enforcement of immigration rules but have qualms about the current process.—
Tyler Kingkade,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
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Ben Mead, managing director of Hohenstein Americas, the largest provider of testing for Oeko-Tex, says some limitations are so strict that even contamination on the machinery from previous runs can show up in testing.—
Sophie Benson,
Vogue,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anal. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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