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Synonym Chooser

How is the word carnal different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of carnal are animal, fleshly, and sensual. While all these words mean "having a relation to the body," carnal may mean only this but more often connotes derogatorily an action or manifestation of a person's lower nature.

a slave to carnal desires

When can animal be used instead of carnal?

While the synonyms animal and carnal are close in meaning, animal stresses the physical as distinguished from the rational nature of a person.

led a mindless animal existence

How do fleshly and carnal relate to one another?

Fleshly is less derogatory than carnal.

a saint who had experienced fleshly temptations

When is it sensible to use sensual instead of carnal?

While in some cases nearly identical to carnal, sensual may apply to any gratification of a bodily desire or pleasure but commonly implies sexual appetite with absence of the spiritual or intellectual.

fleshpots providing sensual delights

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 carnal Miranda, specifically, is in the middle of a three-month break from carnal knowledge. Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2025 Translating carnal attraction, magnetism, and deepening desire, Ropion says the fragrance is ripe with a flower that refuses to go unnoticed: tuberose. Essence, 24 Apr. 2025 This opulent unisex scent made for both men and women marries lush oud with velvety rose—along with equally sumptuous honey and saffron—for a carnal love potion designed for those who aren’t afraid to stand out. Mary Honkus, Glamour, 8 Apr. 2025 As a chronicle of carnal awakening, Dying for Sex, created by Kim Rosenstock and Elizabeth Meriwether based on true events detailed in the Wondery podcast of the same title, is unapologetically horny and refreshingly open-minded. Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for carnal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnal
Adjective
  • The house contorted even more, and once dinner was done, collecting laundry had become less mundane and more treacherous as violent, red flowers bloomed inside the home.
    Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 8 June 2025
  • Smart home systems that learn family patterns could create more opportunities for connection by managing mundane tasks and scheduling quality time.
    Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • The wellness initiative has several components, including mental health, physical health, social connections and fostering healthy habits.
    Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
  • Utilizing a commercial high-fidelity inkjet printer, that digital map was converted into a physical two-layer mask printed onto an ultra-thin clear polymer film.
    Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 15 June 2025
Adjective
  • Our favorite is Santal a La Vida, which takes the popular woody scent to a creamy, serene space that contrasts with the spicy, sensual scents it’s normally used for.
    Justin Fenner, Robb Report, 13 June 2025
  • Leslie Bibb Leslie Bibb took inspiration from suited styling with a sensual spin, wearing a minidress constructed with blazer elements.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 11 June 2025
Adjective
  • The people who had higher negativity bias were found to have reduced blood flow in the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes — regions critical for decision-making, memory and emotional regulation, according to Amen.
    Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2025
  • Stories offer a generosity of space—temporal, emotional, political—that real-time clinical work does not.
    Danielle Ofri, New Yorker, 7 June 2025
Adjective
  • The scenes usually have McKinnon discussing surprise bodily entanglements she’s had with her captors and have proven popular enough that even Meryl Streep has taken part in one that was shown during the program’s 50th anniversary special this year.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 12 June 2025
  • The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said that McCorkle was charged with a misdemeanor for failure to yield the right of way causing bodily injury, WSOC-TV reported.
    Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • This model reshapes terrestrial manufacturing, enabling real-time diagnostics, predictive maintenance and rapid iteration.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025
  • But SpaceX has also had to build large ground stations around the world, known as gateways, to pipe data into space from the terrestrial Internet.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 11 June 2025
Adjective
  • In 2022, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 paved the way for alternatives to animal testing, and in December 2023, an NIH advisory committee made similar recommendations to develop non-animal methods.
    Rachel Fobar, Vox, 14 May 2025
  • Rendering is a process that transforms animal by-products, like leftover meat and fats...and yes, chicken feet, into usable materials, such as animal feed, fuel, and other industrial products.
    Phil Kafarakis, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • But in the earthly order, utility—usefulness for man—is the main determiner of value.
    Alejandro Antonio Chafuen, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
  • The Assumption, proclaimed by Pius XII in 1950, is the doctrine that Mary was taken body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life.
    Dennis Doyle, The Conversation, 8 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Carnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnal. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

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