1
as in temporal
having to do with life on earth especially as opposed to that in heaven
a time of year when people shouldn't focus on fleshly concerns, but instead on spiritual matters
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2
as in physical
of or relating to the human body
the fleshly eye sees the only finished painting, but the mind's eye sees the genius behind its creation
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sensual
pleasing to the physical senses
returning campers looking forward to all the fleshly pleasures of home, including warm baths
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Recent Examples of fleshly
Murderbot has been realized in fleshly form in the sculpted body of Alexander Skarsgård, on the new Apple TV+ series of the same name.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
That was the thing about Succession — its characters were monstrous, but the show never lost sight of their fleshly fallibility, their doubts and vulnerabilities.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 31 May 2025
What the world desires, in short, is a glimpse of a video game, which no one will be able to play until 2025—a game that builds an entire alternative world, glowing with the promise of violence and other fleshly thrills.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2023
But the album offers more than deliciously hedonistic thrills: Thrusting us into their operatic world, this Brooklyn band makes peace with their dark memories and fleshly desires.
—Pitchfork, 6 Dec. 2023
When another girl, Addie (Mia Pak), tries to explain Jesus’ status as the Son of God—fully fleshly and fully divine—as the meeting of horizontal and vertical lines at the overlapping center of a Venn diagram, Beatrice fisks the idea earnestly.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2022
The grateful nutcracker becomes a living prince and leads Clara through a spinning snowstorm of ballerinas to a sugary kingdom where flamenco-style dancers spin with twisting torsos and entwining arms as fleshly embodiments of Spanish chocolate.
—Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2022
There is a leveling effect to his approach, one that allows About Endlessness to find grandeur in the smallest of everyday moments while also highlighting the fallible, fleshly absurdity of even history’s most outsize figures.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2021
They were tempted by curiosity and hunger, by fleshly desires.
—Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, The New Yorker, 18 Jan. 2021
Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
That was the thing about Succession — its characters were monstrous, but the show never lost sight of their fleshly fallibility, their doubts and vulnerabilities.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 31 May 2025
What the world desires, in short, is a glimpse of a video game, which no one will be able to play until 2025—a game that builds an entire alternative world, glowing with the promise of violence and other fleshly thrills.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2023
But the album offers more than deliciously hedonistic thrills: Thrusting us into their operatic world, this Brooklyn band makes peace with their dark memories and fleshly desires.
—Pitchfork, 6 Dec. 2023
When another girl, Addie (Mia Pak), tries to explain Jesus’ status as the Son of God—fully fleshly and fully divine—as the meeting of horizontal and vertical lines at the overlapping center of a Venn diagram, Beatrice fisks the idea earnestly.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2022
The grateful nutcracker becomes a living prince and leads Clara through a spinning snowstorm of ballerinas to a sugary kingdom where flamenco-style dancers spin with twisting torsos and entwining arms as fleshly embodiments of Spanish chocolate.
—Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2022
There is a leveling effect to his approach, one that allows About Endlessness to find grandeur in the smallest of everyday moments while also highlighting the fallible, fleshly absurdity of even history’s most outsize figures.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2021
They were tempted by curiosity and hunger, by fleshly desires.
—Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, The New Yorker, 18 Jan. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleshly
Adjective
-
Drifting between moving-image formats and collaging local textures and bygone voices, Oscar Ruiz Navia’s film reflects on loss and mourning as experiences of temporal dislocation.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Without temporal intelligence, scale becomes noise.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The patient’s physical condition eventually normalized and his psychotic symptoms subsided during his three-week hospital stint.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Linkin Park reenters the general sales ranking at No. 85 and comes in one spot lower on the list of the top-selling physical titles.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Generally, they're used as a style statement, paired with very sensual garments; however, adding a striped shirt under a corset can create a completely different silhouette.—
Michel Mejía,
Glamour,
2 Aug. 2025
-
This can bring a more sensual, domestic and sweet energy to our lives and relationships.—
Kyle Thomas,
People.com,
27 July 2025
Adjective
-
His real talent seemed to be inferring some of the more mundane details of my life.—
Webb Wright,
Scientific American,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Many people worry that AI will one day overthrow and destroy us, but many more worry about the mundane eventualities of ongoing AI integration.—
Christian Perry,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The man, a Mexican national, pleaded not guilty to assaulting a federal officer, assaulting a federal officer resulting in bodily injury and destruction of government property, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
-
The following items are prohibited: Any object that can be used to inflict bodily injury or disrupt the event, chemical dispensing devices, noise-making devices, two-way radios.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
9 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The researchers used data from a suite of four NASA satellites to analyze changes in terrestrial water storage over the past 22 years.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
25 July 2025
-
The Underground Carbon Crisis Mycorrhizal fungi form vast underground networks that connect and sustain over 90% of all terrestrial plant species, channelling nutrients, supporting food systems, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
It was once widely believed throughout Europe that stars produced an ethereal fluid that somehow influenced earthly affairs.—
Martha Barnette
August 6,
Literary Hub,
6 Aug. 2025
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Indulge in the earthly scents of Morocco and refresh your headspace with their Moroccan Hammam, or take an invigorating dip in the cold plunge to stimulate your mind and stimulate circulation in the body.—
Náosha Gregg,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
Adjective
-
In 2022, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 paved the way for alternatives to animal testing, and in December 2023, an NIH advisory committee made similar recommendations to develop non-animal methods.—
Rachel Fobar,
Vox,
14 May 2025
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Rendering is a process that transforms animal by-products, like leftover meat and fats...and yes, chicken feet, into usable materials, such as animal feed, fuel, and other industrial products.—
Phil Kafarakis,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fleshly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleshly. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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