1
as in mundane
having to do with life on earth especially as opposed to that in heaven
the preacher warned that those who were interested only in carnal pursuits would not see the kingdom of heaven
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in physical
of or relating to the human body
a missionary who tends to the carnal needs of the people as well as to their spiritual concerns
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sensual
pleasing to the physical senses
carnal attractions of that gambling mecca in the desert
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of carnal
Uma doesn’t have a domestic bone in her body, and Gopal seems unable even to undress in front of his wife, let alone have anything resembling carnal relations.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 May 2025
Decades later, Erika bears a carnal attraction to her Uncle Fritz (Martin Rother), an amputee who lies withering in pain in his bedroom.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025
But the texting and blocking, the free-for-all backwaters of the internet and the carnal shenanigans that color contemporary TV teendom do put a different complexion on growing up.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
Miranda, specifically, is in the middle of a three-month break from carnal knowledge.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carnal
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 May 2025
Decades later, Erika bears a carnal attraction to her Uncle Fritz (Martin Rother), an amputee who lies withering in pain in his bedroom.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 May 2025
But the texting and blocking, the free-for-all backwaters of the internet and the carnal shenanigans that color contemporary TV teendom do put a different complexion on growing up.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
Miranda, specifically, is in the middle of a three-month break from carnal knowledge.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carnal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnal
Adjective
-
The Incredibles films follow the daily lives of the Parr family, a household of superheroes trying to hide their powers while navigating a mundane life that occasionally beckons for more.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
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In recent months, part of that strategy has extended to agentic AI, which—when deployed at scale—is meant to handle routine, mundane tasks autonomously with little input from human employees.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Is basketball good for your physical health?—
Daryl Austin,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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In this case, the donation is a physical piece of equipment, and the money can’t be diverted to something else, Obayashi said.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Taylor opted to go sans top beneath the jacket, heightening the commanding sensual style.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The trumpets lend a romantic, even sensual touch to this anthem of desperate love, complemented by the vocals of Ricardo Yocupicio and Geovanni Mondragón and the rest of the instrumentation, which includes the essential tuba, clarinets, and horns.—
Luisa Calle,
Billboard,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The novella lacks the temporal markers that indicate how much time has passed between episodes and exhibits an abundance of characters with ruptured psyches.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Integrative regions such as the temporal poles and insular cortex allow both positive and negative events to fit together, potentially into a framework that facilitates long-term well-being.—
Anthony Vaccaro,
Scientific American,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The abduction must pose a credible threat of imminent danger, serious bodily injury or death to the child, according to DPS.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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Jury also found true allegations that Bazyan caused great bodily injury and used a knife in the attacks.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Having exhausted our terrestrial destination, humanity is now reaching for extraterrestrial ones.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Instead of running physical cables that connect your home or RV to the greater internet, Starlink uses a series of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that communicate between your home dish and a terrestrial gateway somewhere else on Earth.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Not quite plant, not quite animal; delicious and wild and rare.—
Callie Sumlin,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
15 Oct. 2025
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, dogs were more likely to respond to animal stimuli than to non-animal stimuli.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 July 2025
Adjective
-
That was one last flourish of self-laceration, and there is definitely a matching strain of masochism in Hopkins—not so much a relish of suffering as a rueful acknowledgment that earthly woe is our due.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
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That was one last flourish of self-laceration, and there is definitely a matching strain of masochism in Hopkins—not so much a relish of suffering as a rueful acknowledgment that earthly woe is our due.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Carnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnal. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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