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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sensual
pleasing to the physical senses
carnal attractions of that gambling mecca in the desert
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of carnal
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
When Rachel puts the moves on a local boy (Garrett Hedlund), her eyes flash with a kind of carnal appreciation — but for just a second.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 9 Aug. 2025
Gwendolyn has stoically walled herself off from true romance while Fonsi has anxiously stumbled from one erotic situation to the next, even having (forbidden) carnal relations with a spirit.
—Literary Hub, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for carnal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnal
Adjective
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Most cops have hero dreams, protector fantasies that sustain them through days that are mostly mundane.—
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Big fantastical ones, but also ones that feel so normalized and mundane and get extrapolated to their most dystopian and absurd.—
Adjective
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So commences a night of harrowing encounters and trauma both physical and mental, starting with Ron and Mike’s trip to meet Oliver at a bar after one of his shows.—
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Perez does not break down training into physical and tactical work, instead designing complex exercises so players build fitness while practising real-game situations.—
Adjective
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The two share a vampy, sexy, sensual stylistic code.—
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The result is eveningwear that feels sensual, refined and effortlessly modern.—
Adjective
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The researchers were trying to test a concept known as temporal discontinuity, in which a brief amount of time passes between the introduction of an item and the assignment of its name.—
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Of course, school felt like a temporal abyss for a lot of young people, especially those who were violently singled out for their differences.—
Adjective
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Prosecutors said the jury found Perez guilty of one count of assault on a child younger than 8 years old with force likely to produce great bodily injury resulting in death.—
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Drivers must have insurance on their vehicle for bodily injury and property damage, known as a liability policy.—
Adjective
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The other factor is the origin of the organic material itself—marine plants are more likely to become oil, whereas terrestrial plants are more likely to become gas.—
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Running a terrestrial data center costs up to $10 million per year in electricity needs alone.—
Adjective
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Not quite plant, not quite animal; delicious and wild and rare.—
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, dogs were more likely to respond to animal stimuli than to non-animal stimuli.—
Adjective
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Sátántangó’s desolate landscapes, dominated by mud, wind, and overcast skies, summoned a vision of earthly purgatory unrivaled in almost all of cinema.—
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The earthly experience of personal grief and privation that inspired such transcendent beauty is mind-bending in its own way.—
Cite this Entry
“Carnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnal. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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