carnal

adjective

ˈkär-nᵊl How to pronounce carnal (audio)
Definition of carnalnext
1
as in mundane
having to do with life on earth especially as opposed to that in heaven the preacher warned that those who were interested only in carnal pursuits would not see the kingdom of heaven

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in physical
of or relating to the human body a missionary who tends to the carnal needs of the people as well as to their spiritual concerns

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sensual
pleasing to the physical senses carnal attractions of that gambling mecca in the desert

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Otherwise, her relation with John is carnal, her reactions brutal. —John Hopewell, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026 On September 16, Leeann Yammarino, 44, pleaded no contest to two counts of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and two counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile. —Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025 But on the carnal front, at least, the musical is made of softer stuff. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025 Stripped to their symbolic essence, the erotics of Frankenstein are about the body as meat, electrified by carnal pleasure and unencumbered by the soul. —Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for carnal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnal
  1. mundane
  2. physical
  3. sensual
  4. temporal
  5. bodily
  6. terrestrial
  7. animal
  8. earthly
Adjective
  • To an outsider, this looks like a mundane infrastructure dispute.
    — Yunus Emre Tozal, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
  • But most of the messages were more mundane, such as highlighting support for requiring voters to provide identification at the polls.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of mundane
Adjective
  • Both Bloom’s and Brick’s physical devices may also give them an edge with young people who increasingly prefer the analog over the digital.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026
  • There are more overtly sexy moments in Fennell’s movie — the physical intimacy is ratcheted up significantly from the book — but this scene underlines the Brontë’s themes of desire and repression — and the friction between them — that imprinted on the filmmaker as a teen.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of physical
Adjective
  • The film gets aesthetically expressive in slow-motion sequences when Colin is riding pillion on Ray’s bike, capturing the sensual excitement of it all, the wild ride that Colin has chosen to take.
    — Katie Walsh, Twin Cities, 6 Feb. 2026
  • And then, Beyoncé, who has a stranglehold on excellence and can woo 100,000 with a look, shattered that bit of black-and-white history with a purple light, flames shooting up from the stage, and a sensational and sensual performance.
    — Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of sensual
Adjective
  • What looked like ideological bias was, more often, temporal lag.
    — Charles Edward Gehrke, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Again and again, Tennyson fills his beautifully wrought poems with enormous, unfathomable depths—sometimes cosmic, sometimes temporal, sometimes psychological, often oceanic.
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Definition of temporal
Adjective
  • Chad Michael Watts, 45, faces two counts of assault causing bodily injury.
    — Jessica Ma, Dallas Morning News, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Jennifer Penton is charged with involuntary manslaughter, causing serious bodily injury to a person participating in a training program involving physical exercise, and perjury.
    — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of bodily
Adjective
  • But fertilizing terrestrial crops with marine material may muddle that work.
    — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Traditionally, cars only connect to terrestrial cell towers.
    — Noelle Harff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of terrestrial
Adjective
  • Not quite plant, not quite animal; delicious and wild and rare.
    — Callie Sumlin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Perhaps unsurprisingly, dogs were more likely to respond to animal stimuli than to non-animal stimuli.
    — Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 July 2025
Definition of animal
Adjective
  • Iran’s rulers, like many religious fundamentalists, celebrate indifference to earthly life and pin their sights on posthumous rewards.
    — Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Cognition and sensorimotor functions emerged from the evolutionary pressures of an unpredictable earthly environment.
    — Rachel Barr, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
Definition of earthly

Browse Nearby Words

carnages
carnal
carnality
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Carnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnal. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on carnal

Nglish: Translation of carnal for Spanish Speakers

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