1
as in bodily
of or relating to the human body
physical sensations such as heat and pain
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in concrete
relating to or composed of matter
couldn't tell the difference between a physical object and a shadow in the dim light
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of physical
With the moon transiting whimsical Pisces, the boundaries between the physical and spiritual blur, adding an imaginative and almost cinematic layer to the festivities.
—
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
This way of peering at screen culture from an inexact distance, which also comes up in a scolding scene where Ethan scrolls aimlessly through something like TikTok, rankles in a play that is otherwise so precise about physical time and space.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
With 31 percent of adults and 80 percent of adolescents not meeting recommended levels of physical activity, researchers have unveiled a disturbing glimpse of what the long-term impacts on our health and appearance could look like.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Here, spiritual infractions are met with savage physical punishment and some of the more grotesque images in recent horror memory (which, as the genre has become ever more popular and emboldened, is seriously saying something).
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for physical
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
This way of peering at screen culture from an inexact distance, which also comes up in a scolding scene where Ethan scrolls aimlessly through something like TikTok, rankles in a play that is otherwise so precise about physical time and space.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
With 31 percent of adults and 80 percent of adolescents not meeting recommended levels of physical activity, researchers have unveiled a disturbing glimpse of what the long-term impacts on our health and appearance could look like.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Here, spiritual infractions are met with savage physical punishment and some of the more grotesque images in recent horror memory (which, as the genre has become ever more popular and emboldened, is seriously saying something).
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for physical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for physical
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
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The denim purveyor said in its complaint that the tab trademark has come to be known as a concrete signal that consumers are buying an authentic Levi’s product and argued that extraneous uses of that trademark could dilute or harm its own brand.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Oct. 2025
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Next, a 10,000-pound concrete-and-steel battering ram was used to punch 24-foot holes through the ice, beginning at the far end of the whales' four-mile path to freedom, so as not to alarm them.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Modern neuroscience now reveals that intense negative experiences can produce measurable physiological changes in the brain, alterations in connectivity, activation patterns, and stress response networks, akin to the effects of a physical injury.—
Matt Emma,
USA Today,
29 Oct. 2025
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Understanding the careful examination of a complete picture of how fatty acid works in the distinct physiological context of mice, and then human skin, would be necessary before applying it to humans.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Climate scientists have repeatedly warned that a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use will be necessary to curb global heating, with the burning of coal, oil and gas identified as the chief driver of the climate crisis.—
Sam Meredith,Dan Murphy,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
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Sapp debunked the rumor and mentioned that WWE is paying Knight a substantial amount of money.—
Fernando Quiles Jr,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Over the centuries, the gesture became more decorative and less about corporeal money management.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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At its première, at the Avignon Festival, in 2023, this two-and-a-half-hour exercise in corporeal commitment was greeted as both a scandal and a career-making success.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Republicans must credibly promise to rein in irresponsible spending and smartly cut waste so that Americans see tangible relief.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Since its debut, the initiative has been quietly but determinedly building physical bases in Lagos and Kenya, creating tangible spaces where female artists, producers, and engineers can access resources that Tems herself had to fight to find.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
4 Nov. 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
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In a video shared to his Instagram that's now gone viral, the somatic healer can be seen standing behind a child, who has her arms crossed.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
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While Milana’s work is rooted in Italian craftsmanship and designed in dialogue with the body, Campagna brought her background in somatic therapy, movement and curation.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Physical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/physical. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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