SPIRITUAL Synonyms: 88 Similar and Opposite Words

spiritual 1 of 2

adjective

ˈspir-i-chə-wəl

Definition of spiritual

as in metaphysical

not composed of matter a staunch skeptic and realist, he scoffs at the very notion of ghosts and other spiritual entities

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

spiritual

2 of 2

noun

as in hymn

a religious song sang a spiritual at the funeral

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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 spiritual

Adjective

Some Fascists admired Japan’s use of Shinto shrines and ritual to endow its militaristic nationalism with spiritual power. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 22 Sep. 2026 His book Be Here Now, published in 1971, became a manual for a generation of spiritual seekers. — Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026

Noun

The historic church was recently destroyed by fire, but just like these spirituals, melodies of strength are unwavering and inspiring. — Ukee Washington, CBS News, 19 June 2026 Born in Black communities in New Orleans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, jazz emerged from a blend of African rhythms, blues, spirituals, ragtime, improvisation, and collective storytelling. — Keith Brooks, Forbes.com, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for spiritual

Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiritual

Adjective

Lee’s lines have the intimacy and metaphysical heft of prayer; their elegant recursions and repetitions call to mind the cycles of life, death, and rebirth.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Dürrenmatt is more focused on moral than metaphysical questions.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of metaphysical

Adjective

Still, Beck didn’t seem to want to talk, in private or in the media, about having grown up as the child of a successful music-industry hustler — much less one who was so proudly and publicly involved with a controversial religious movement.

— Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Researching religious-art theft, Gurrea came across Erik the Belgian, a notorious thief who targeted churches across Spain during the 20th century.

— Callum McLennan, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of religious

Noun

The atmosphere feels similar to Pentecostal churches, with the hymns and spiritual declarations very familiar to those sung in other churches.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
In the southernmost car, dozens press together and sway in their prayer shawls to the hymns of the morning service.

— Ben Corn, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of hymn

Adjective

We’re not immersed in any of the procedural’s dangers, its uncertainties, its suspense, its psychic toll.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
For all of the stories of healing and awakening, psychedelics also can engender another archive of spiritual life — terror, confusion, nihilism, and psychic collapse.

— Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of psychic

Adjective

Neither home nor sacred space, to her the building felt stuck between states, stubbornly shaking its head.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Inside a white-walled room, a clinician administered ibogaine, a psychoactive compound derived from a sacred Central African bark.

— Claire Hoffman, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of sacred

Noun

The welcome ceremony also included a flyover by two B-1 bombers, platoons from each military service, and a presentation of the flags and anthems of both countries.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026
What began as a pointed statement quickly expanded into a communal anthem, driven by a hook built to be shouted back.

— Brittney Williams, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of anthem

Adjective

Hogan builds the film around audiences’ fascination with the true crime documentary format before steering the narrative into unexpected supernatural territory.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
The cursed island town in Widow’s Bay has summoned all kinds of supernatural entities, much to the dismay of its residents.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of supernatural

Noun

Psalm 23 is numbered Psalm 22 in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate because of differences in how the psalms are divided and numbered.

— Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026
But presiding over his daughter’s outdoor wedding helped, fulfilling another psalm’s promise.

— Peter Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Definition of psalm

Cite this Entry

Style

“Spiritual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiritual. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of spiritual

adjective

noun

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