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

The title establishes the spiritual foundation of the franchise, which centers on Lord Shri Krishna and depicts what the studio describes as an expansive spiritual universe built around devotion, dharma and the bond between humanity and the divine. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026 And soon, Curott said, what largely had been a spiritual path turned into a commodity. — Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 9 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

For decades, metaphysical stores and botanicas have sold religious items and offered spiritual cleansings and readings in spite of stigmatization and gentrification.

— Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
Eddy has been spared the worst violence; the novel casts his racial privilege as a kind of metaphysical exemption.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of metaphysical

Adjective

Netanyahu’s government, the most ultranationalist and religious in Israel’s history, has presided over a surge of settlement construction in the West Bank.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Netanyahu’s government is the most ultranationalist and religious in Israel’s history.

— Ibrahim Hazboun, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of religious

Noun

The crowd listened in silence as the Polynesians, wearing blue fire uniforms, sang a Tahitian hymn in harmony while two of them strummed ukuleles.

— Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
The scholar of religion Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900) noticed that many Vedic hymns praise different deities using the same superlatives and ascribe to them the same mythological feats.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of hymn

Adjective

While psychic readers have storefronts in other parts of the city, this change applies to the Community Business and Boulevard Business zoning districts, which previously did not permit soothsaying.

— Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
For now, Oluko is forging a smooth psychic path for Leighton to do this work.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of psychic

Adjective

Both the house and its environment have, as a result, led to intense research into the field of sacred geometry, including naturally occurring numerical patterns such as the Fibonacci sequence and golden ratio.

— Alexandra Hildreth, Vogue, 9 Sep. 2026
Zhang Ding, a key figure in Chinese contemporary art, contributes a piece composed of golden light panels that casts an almost sacred glow, illuminating transparent glass humanoid heads with gemstone-like surfaces.

— Denni Hu, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of sacred

Noun

In 2016, the former San Francisco 49ers player first sat, then knelt, during the anthem to protest police brutality.

— Michel Martin, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026
While the Champions League anthem was playing — booed, as always, by the Barcelona fans — a sudden downpour came out of the blue.

— Laia Cervelló Herrero, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of anthem

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 13 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of spiritual

adjective

noun

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