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
Relevance
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
Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 16 June 2026
Images captured overnight showed flames billowing from Kyiv’s Pechersk Lavra, an 11th-century spiritual and cultural center that holds deep significance for many Ukrainians.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 15 June 2026
Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The music is eclectic and includes sounds associated with Islam as well as bluegrass, hymns and spirituals.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiritual
Adjective
For more than 200 years, Mother African Union Church in Wilmington, Delaware has been a spiritual celebration of African American freedom.
—Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 16 June 2026
Images captured overnight showed flames billowing from Kyiv’s Pechersk Lavra, an 11th-century spiritual and cultural center that holds deep significance for many Ukrainians.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 15 June 2026
Noun
Even in Paul, though, the spiritual is balanced by the material.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
The music is eclectic and includes sounds associated with Islam as well as bluegrass, hymns and spirituals.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for spiritual
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spiritual
Adjective
-
Instrumental rock music of the kind Horse Lords make—hypnotic, hyper-focused, complex—usually carries a whiff of manifesto, offering a map toward transcendence of some political, metaphysical, or pick-your-variety kind.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
16 June 2026
-
Rationality lurks in theology from the beginning, just as philosophy never shakes off its yearning for the metaphysical.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
The former football player explained that his religious upbringing and internal struggle with his sexuality both contributed to his decision to remain a virgin.—
Deirdre Durkan,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
-
But, of course, as some of you may be thinking, nothing causes more pain than the desire for pleasure—a fact attested to by countless love songs and religious texts.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
For centuries, spiritual hymns have kept hope alive, even more so for the enslaved.—
Ukee Washington,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
-
The star players seem happy, and everyone appears to be singing from the same hymn sheet.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
Blackened with volcanic rock and encircled by towering waves, the tumultuous scenery makes a vivid psychic landscape for So Help Me God, a rambling spell of ’70s-era soul and exuberant orchestral folk-pop that sweeps through the fog of heartbreak and the clarity of self-discovery.—
Kiana Mickles,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
-
Rather than the standard psychological insights of TV’s many homicide detectives, Graham possesses a virtually psychic ability to put himself into killers’ twisted psyches.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
At best, Venus in Leo reminds us that our pleasure is sacred, and self-confidence is attractive.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
17 June 2026
-
The Skinnylicious menu is a sacred text and could be the key to world peace, along with fast food, tailgating, and megastores — all things that are a part of everyday American life but are being fully embraced by tourists visiting for the first time.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
The show features timeless works from influential artists whose songs have long served as anthems for social change and perseverance.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
-
Pop anthems gave way to house beats.—
Sari Kamin,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
O'Connor's whistleblowing programmer Daniel Kellner and Blunt's Missouri meteorologist Margaret Fairchild are eventually drawn together, thanks to the awakening of her supernatural mind-reading skills.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
12 June 2026
-
Helping bring the game’s supernatural noir atmosphere to life is award-winning composer Chase Bethea.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Over the course of Gregory Orr’s long career, his poems have become increasingly incantatory, more and more like chants or psalms, repeating, reformulating, reaching for the edges of the same rich metaphors.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
-
The epitome of that tradition is Choral Evensong, an evening service of hymns, psalms and prayers laid out by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant archbishop of the Church of England, in 1549.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spiritual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spiritual. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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