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
Urinary incontinence, pain during intercourse, frequency of urination, difficulty evacuating, constipation, a feeling of pelvic blockage, and perineal, vaginal, or anal pain.
—Mónica Heras, Vogue, 20 Aug. 2025
That means STIs can also cause throat, genital and anal infections.
—Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
There are other ways to explore: fingers, smaller toys, anal plugs, etc.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for anal
Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Urinary incontinence, pain during intercourse, frequency of urination, difficulty evacuating, constipation, a feeling of pelvic blockage, and perineal, vaginal, or anal pain.
—Mónica Heras, Vogue, 20 Aug. 2025
That means STIs can also cause throat, genital and anal infections.
—Jill Grimes, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
There are other ways to explore: fingers, smaller toys, anal plugs, etc.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for anal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anal
Adjective
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Few companies have approached that challenge with the obsessive engineering of PITAKA, a brand known for fusing advanced materials with minimalist form.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
12 Oct. 2025
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My baby steps include being more intentional about family meals without phones and trying to cut back on the obsessive scrolling of the news and Instagram that interferes with human conversation.—
Ken Stern,
CNBC,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Paxton, however, has remained adamant that Roberson is guilty of murder.—
Erik Ortiz,
NBC news,
9 Oct. 2025
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Republicans remain adamant that any action on, and the details of, reviving the subsidies would have to wait until the government reopens.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy.—
Rob Williams,
EverydayHealth.com,
9 Oct. 2025
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Article 3 Section 5 of the Tennessee Constitution places strict limitations on the regular circumstances under which a governor can deploy guard troops.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anal. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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