as in obsessive
extremely or overly neat, careful, or precise
I've always been anal about arranging my books alphabetically by author.
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Recent Examples of anal
Fox was diagnosed with vulvar cancer in February 2019, then cervical cancer soon after, and she was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2023.
—
Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Forensics find feces under the fingernail, suggesting it had been used in anal play before it was mailed.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
Doctors discover severe condition At a nearby hospital, doctors initially believed Paloma Quatrini was suffering from a condition known as anal prolapse.
—Meghan Schiller, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Scooting is often a sign that your dog’s anal glands are full, irritated or not emptying properly.
—Kasey Caminiti, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anal
Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 11 Apr. 2026
Forensics find feces under the fingernail, suggesting it had been used in anal play before it was mailed.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 27 Mar. 2026
Doctors discover severe condition At a nearby hospital, doctors initially believed Paloma Quatrini was suffering from a condition known as anal prolapse.
—Meghan Schiller, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2026
Scooting is often a sign that your dog’s anal glands are full, irritated or not emptying properly.
—Kasey Caminiti, USA Today, 5 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for anal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anal
Adjective
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Obsession, Curry Barker’s indie horror thriller about dangerous obsessive behavior, is winning over Rotten Tomatoes critics.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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If grass eating is new, sudden, obsessive or comes packaged with any of the symptoms listed above, a vet visit is in order, according to Guilfoyle.—
Diana Bocco,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Adjective
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Massie had held firm -- adamant that his constituents would pull through for him.—
Hannah Demissie,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
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Glamour readers were very, very adamant that consent is needed from the group before a new person is added to the chat.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
18 May 2026
Adjective
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If strict fidelity gets in the way, it can be treated as immaterial.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
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Employees who once rejected office culture are now returning to in-person roles, accepting stricter employer demands, delaying entrepreneurial goals, or remaining in emotionally exhausting workplaces because financial risks feel too high.—
Maia Niguel Hoskin,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anal. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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