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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However, Robbie’s performance keeps Cathy’s childish nature intact with many obsessive outbursts.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Brontë’s story is about revenge, obsessive love and social class.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Norma Padgett Upshaw, who remained adamant that the four men were the ones involved in her assault, died in 2024.—
News Service Of Florida,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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Suleyman’s vision for Microsoft Suleyman is adamant about the technology’s potential.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The Bhumjaithai party leader is staunch royalist who is firmly against any amendments to lese majeste, Thailand’s strict royal defamation law.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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But strict donation rules required anonymity between donor and recipient for at least one to two years, meaning Kaedi Cecala could only wonder about the stranger who had just saved her life.—
Shafiq Najib,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anal. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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