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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleshly
Adjective
-
The researchers were trying to test a concept known as temporal discontinuity, in which a brief amount of time passes between the introduction of an item and the assignment of its name.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Of course, school felt like a temporal abyss for a lot of young people, especially those who were violently singled out for their differences.—
Alex Jovanovich,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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As a pattern of intimidation, isolation, humiliation and controlling behavior, coercive control can be as damaging as physical abuse.—
Oona Metz,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Felton’s confessions, both to his father and to police, were corroborated by location data and physical evidence, the complaint says.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The two share a vampy, sexy, sensual stylistic code.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
4 Jan. 2026
-
The result is eveningwear that feels sensual, refined and effortlessly modern.—
Alex Badia,
Footwear News,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Most cops have hero dreams, protector fantasies that sustain them through days that are mostly mundane.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Big fantastical ones, but also ones that feel so normalized and mundane and get extrapolated to their most dystopian and absurd.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
He has been charged with two counts of assault and battery, one to cause serious bodily injury and another on a person over the age of 60.—
Riley Rourke,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Key Takeaways Oranges and orange juice are rich in vitamin C, which is key for supporting the immune system, tissue repair, and other bodily functions.—
Cristina Mutchler,
Verywell Health,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Howard Stern, then a rising shock jock on terrestrial radio, went all in, calling for Goetz to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The other factor is the origin of the organic material itself—marine plants are more likely to become oil, whereas terrestrial plants are more likely to become gas.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
This was his Leviathan, an earthly sovereign power that humans rationally create to escape the chaos of the state of nature.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Sátántangó’s desolate landscapes, dominated by mud, wind, and overcast skies, summoned a vision of earthly purgatory unrivaled in almost all of cinema.—
Tim Grierson,
Rolling Stone,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Fleshly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleshly. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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