Synonym Chooser

How is the word sensual different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of sensual are animal, carnal, and fleshly. While all these words mean "having a relation to the body," sensual may apply to any gratification of a bodily desire or pleasure but commonly implies sexual appetite with absence of the spiritual or intellectual.

fleshpots providing sensual delights

When could animal be used to replace sensual?

Although the words animal and sensual have much in common, animal stresses the physical as distinguished from the rational nature of a person.

led a mindless animal existence

When might carnal be a better fit than sensual?

In some situations, the words carnal and sensual are roughly equivalent. However, carnal may mean only this but more often connotes derogatorily an action or manifestation of a person's lower nature.

a slave to carnal desires

How are the words fleshly and carnal related as synonyms of sensual?

Fleshly is less derogatory than carnal.

a saint who had experienced fleshly temptations

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sensual The live auction included the sale of Herb Ritts’ bold, sensual Duo II, Los Angeles (1990). Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025 After 80 minutes of the highest highs and lowest lows, of falling in and out of love with life, of smelling the most sensual roses on the planet in a search for renewal, resurrection arrives in a blaze of amazement. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2025 This dark, sensual, glittering tale explores a world dancing on the edge and the joyful defiance of the characters who inhabit it. Greg Evans, Deadline, 10 June 2025 Our favorite is Santal a La Vida, which takes the popular woody scent to a creamy, serene space that contrasts with the spicy, sensual scents it’s normally used for. Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 13 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for sensual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sensual
Adjective
  • White Space, founded by Khadijah Fulton in 2016; Los Angeles Related Articles Price range: $500 to $11,000 Aesthetic: Clean, sensuous lines juxtaposed against organic pearl shapes and unexpected details.
    Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 5 June 2025
  • The Eating of an Orange captivates with its minimalist and surrealist elegance, transforming a simple act into a profound journey filled with Lynchian dream logic and sensuous fluidity.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 26 May 2025
Adjective
  • For the first installment, U.S. photographer Alec Soth shot the lush green scenery and karst limestone mountains near the Li river in Guilin.
    Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 1 July 2025
  • The ballroom was filled with lush white florals from The Botanical Box, which were accented with fresh greenery.
    Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • Quiet and largely seasonably pleasant weather will settle across the Kansas City area on Tuesday, giving the metro a break from the heat and storms of the past few days, according to the National Weather Service.
    Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2025
  • The average temperature is a pleasant 56°F (13°C), with warm summers and cool winters.
    Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • Two of them—Bertha Russell on The Gilded Age and Gloria Burgle on Fargo—have earned her Emmy nominations, and that number seems likely to grow thanks to her delicious performance as Laurie, an uptight workaholic in the midst of a midlife crisis in The White Lotus season three.
    Sam Reed, Glamour, 23 June 2025
  • Roasting them low and slow in a preheated oven, or cooking them slowly in a slow cooker, smoker, or sous vide before finishing on the grill or under the broiler, can all yield tender, delicious results.
    Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • Due to her voluptuous figure and her rising status as a publicity magnet, Twentieth Century Fox signed Mansfield to a contract with the hopes of turning her into the next Marilyn Monroe.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 28 June 2025
  • It is named for a plastic-surgery technique called the Rubens flap, used in breast reconstruction; the term is a reference to the voluptuous figures in Rubens’s work.
    Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
Adjective
  • Upon receiving the ball, Joao Pedro turns, drives forward, and slides a delightful ball through to Simon Adingra, making a dangerous out-to-in run from the flank.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 30 June 2025
  • La Terrasse du Petit Palais makes for delightful open air lakefront dining at the 1906 Fairmont Le Montreux Palace hotel, while its indoor Montreux Jazz Café features a fine dining menu, despite its casual name.
    John Oseid, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • Fons’ Mandane was every bit as gripping, too, sharpening her luxurious mezzo to deadly points in the first act and lacing it with sobs in the third.
    Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2025
  • The weekend is by no means over, but one extremely private ultra-Venetian venue has been thoroughly and seamlessly enjoyed, on June 26, with a dinner for the couple and their guests at the immense and immensely luxurious Palazzo Brandolini, presiding over the south bank of the Grand Canal.
    Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • Each issue centers around the bonds that women form with each other, and in this case, forged vis-à-vis a carnal and violent bloodbath.
    Tiffany Leigh, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
  • Modern filmmaking gets no better than Hernández’s balance of carnal and mundane conduct — Marco and Orlando’s physical yearning matches their career ambitions.
    Armond White, National Review, 25 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sensual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sensual. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

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