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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of carnal
In a similar vein, Byredo’s Animalique exudes an equally alluring vibe that’s slightly funkier and more carnal.
—
Sophie Wirt, InStyle, 26 Feb. 2026
The average viewer imagines all sort of carnal activities happening, titillated by what might appear onscreen once the visuals kick in.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
Wuthering Heights, the writer-director Emerald Fennell’s new adaptation of Emily Brontë’s groundbreaking Gothic novel, is her best film to date—a heaving, rip-snortingly carnal good time at the cinema.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Christie Oster, the 38-year-old Broussard Middle School Teacher of the Year, was previously arrested by the Lafayette Police Department on charges of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with juveniles.
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for carnal
Sophie Wirt, InStyle, 26 Feb. 2026
The average viewer imagines all sort of carnal activities happening, titillated by what might appear onscreen once the visuals kick in.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
Wuthering Heights, the writer-director Emerald Fennell’s new adaptation of Emily Brontë’s groundbreaking Gothic novel, is her best film to date—a heaving, rip-snortingly carnal good time at the cinema.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Christie Oster, the 38-year-old Broussard Middle School Teacher of the Year, was previously arrested by the Lafayette Police Department on charges of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with juveniles.
—Alex Nitzberg, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for carnal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnal
Adjective
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But there was a time when the title character of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film, Amélie, was expected to sport a far more mundane 'do.—
Adèle Bari,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
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The girls would spend hours filming TikToks, turning mundane daily moments into something playful and childlike.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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His physical attributes caught the attention of the Ravens’ front office and scouts, but his relationship with Heap helped drive his quality of character home.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
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Both Ponds and Glenn were undersized cornerbacks who both love to get physical.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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From cheeky shots of celebrities like Jane Fonda and Arnold Schwarzenegger to extravagant, sensual portfolios of America’s Olympic squads, the magazine’s pantheon of photographers have helped to define the genre of sports portraiture.—
Jonathan Pace,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
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Here, the sado-sensual yearning of the Confederacy to instantiate itself through the fetishes and reliquaries of figurative sculpture is shown as hollow, impotent, all too discomfiting, and very real.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The first is their temporal nature—they are specifically designed for live and unfolding events, and their modality reflects this liveness.—
Daniel Jackson,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
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Her formidable, untitled 2026 sphinx regally commands its space among ancient Egyptian and Roman sculpture, a marvel of the cross-temporal and cross-spatial, spiked with specific references to Black self-determination.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Given who holds power in Washington, the key is to focus rhetoric less on the big vision of global sustainability than on the simple defense of personal bodily health, including especially the health of kids.—
Justin Zorn,
STAT,
28 Apr. 2026
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The prions are spread between animals through bodily fluids, including saliva, blood, urine and feces, and can occur through direct contact or indirectly through contamination of soil, food or water.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Still, the music flourished on terrestrial radio and music-video television, two venues for mass musical experiences whose power has diminished drastically in the streaming era.—
Jack Hamilton,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
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Broadcasting and telecommunications encompass radio and television services (including terrestrial broadcasting, cable, and satellite), telephony and wireless networks, and online streaming services.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The charity reports a 70% increase in multi-animal incidents across England and Wales since 2021, defining such cases as those involving 10 or more animals.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
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Regulators are trying to push drug development into a post-animal testing era.—
Meghana Keshavan,
STAT,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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As the visionary figure, Bambaataa brought the sampling ethos to the music as well as an Afrocentric philosophy, a way of living unbounded by the earthly confines of whatever America had been or would become.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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That’s to say, there’s earthly authority and there’s heavenly authority.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Carnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnal. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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