1
as in metaphysical
not composed of matter
a staunch skeptic and realist, he scoffs at the very notion of ghosts and other spiritual entities
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in religious
of, relating to, or used in the practice or worship services of a religion
spiritual songs that have been sung by generations of worshippers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in hymn
a religious song
sang a spiritual at the funeral
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spiritual
Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
In Louisiana’s Afro-Creole culture, women held leadership roles in spiritual and community life.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
From slave spirituals to civil rights-era protest songs to the YG and Kendrick Lamar songs that soundtracked the last decade of Black Lives Matter protests, musicians across genres tend to react to our country’s horrors with music.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiritual
Adjective
For me, to be up and moving each day at daybreak was (and at the risk of sounding clichéd) an almost spiritual experience.
—Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
In Louisiana’s Afro-Creole culture, women held leadership roles in spiritual and community life.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
America’s long struggle against racial segregation was accompanied by a righteous soundtrack of spirituals and gospel and soul music, anthems that channeled sanctified fervor into the fight for equality.
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
From slave spirituals to civil rights-era protest songs to the YG and Kendrick Lamar songs that soundtracked the last decade of Black Lives Matter protests, musicians across genres tend to react to our country’s horrors with music.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiritual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiritual
Adjective
-
In the summer of 2023, the original organizers of what would become the Denver Summit NWSL franchise had a hunch—more like metaphysical certitude, really—that a massive untapped market existed for professional women’s soccer in the Mile High City.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
12 Mar. 2026
-
In those earlier pictures, metaphysical conceits became visual and dramatic gambits as the filmmakers set out to colonize the vast interior worlds of, respectively, the mind and the spirit.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Khamenei was both Hezbollah’s political ally and its paramount spiritual guide; the group followed his religious rulings and used his authority to legitimize violent acts.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
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Previous laws allowed minority groups to follow their religious practices and teach their languages, albeit under careful state control.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The first is rewriting public-domain hymns with community members to sing at protests.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Instead, a narrator gives a somewhat notion of what’s what in the language of the audience, as is Akhnaten’s great aria, a hymn to Aten (god of the sun).—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Shirley Jackson had four kids and dirty hair, plus psychic tendencies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
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Her habit of cruelty is clearly an example of someone paying forward their psychic damage; dialogue has repeatedly riffed upon the idea that hurt people hurt people.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The community is guided by a liturgical calendar, which Prince explains makes every day feel like a sacred moment.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
11 Mar. 2026
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In wartime, death no longer carries the sacred, sublime aura found both in German Romanticism and Russian literary tradition.—
Hanlu Zhang,
Artforum,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The International Paralympic Committee is looking into an apparent protest by two German athletes while on the podium when the Russian anthem was played at the Winter Paralympics.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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At the 2022 men’s World Cup, played in Qatar, the Iranian team did not sing the anthem before a game against England and did not celebrate the two goals scored in a 6-2 loss.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Graham is best known for her role as the powerful witch Bonnie Bennett on the CW's popular supernatural teen series The Vampire Diaries.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
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In the movies Bring Her Back and Weapons, supernatural forces take over children’s minds.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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After all, audiences may be captivated by the psalm singing itself, but then can also find more things that capture their imagination in the observational doc.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
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Gallagher is also excited about Psalms of the People (Salim Nan Daoine), Jack Archer’s Gaelic-language documentary about Scotland’s cultural heritage of traditional Gaelic psalm singing.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spiritual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiritual. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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