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
His portrayal of the anal West Philadelphia public school teacher earned him three Emmy nominations and one Golden Globe Award.
—
Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
Some types, especially urethritis, can arise due to gonorrhea and chlamydia, which spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 13 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for anal
Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
Some types, especially urethritis, can arise due to gonorrhea and chlamydia, which spread through vaginal, anal, or oral sex.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 13 Sep. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for anal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anal
Adjective
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This coming-of-age comedy follows the exploits of 15-year-old Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan), who deals with the emotional fallout of her father’s death while juggling school, a complicated relationship with her mother, and an obsessive crush on a classmate.—
Andrew Walsh,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Apr. 2026
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And obsessive thinking can obscure your ability to see the big picture.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Warsh has been adamant about wanting to ease monetary policy.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2026
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But Dugalić was adamant on a normal-length college career.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Minnesota also implemented stricter regulations around those products because of the federal prohibition, such as where consumers can buy them.—
Caroline Cummings,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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The design process took more than five years, a negotiation between the city’s strict hydraulic requirements and the neighborhood’s shifting wishes; the result was something no one had pictured in advance.—
Eric Klinenberg,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anal. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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