as in spiritual
not composed of matter
ghosts are supposed to be incorporeal
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Recent Examples of incorporeal
Followers of the Abrahamic religions are supposed to treat God as immaterial and incorporeal, yet these early Yahweh worshippers imagined him as fully embodied.
—
Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
Positioned as a large-scale genre event, the series updates the legendary SFX property with a contemporary political and social edge, with Shun Oguri leading the cast as a detective hunting a seemingly incorporeal killer.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
In fact, magical life has the potential to be even more radically incorporeal than our own.
—Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Indeed, in stark contrast to the incorporeal nature of a digital image, each of Winant’s photographs is, in a sense, a discrete body: a fallible material entity that boasts a hidden physical history and that will compositionally deteriorate over time.
—Jessica Simmons-Reid, Artforum, 1 June 2025
Christ Jesus’ example shows us how to turn away from material definitions of life by getting to know God as incorporeal divine Life.
—Larissa Snorek, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Mar. 2025
To the casual observer, the data industry can seem incorporeal, its products conjured out of weightless bits.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2024
If reason teaches that God is incorporeal, this means that God has no body; God does not physically see, nor do people see God.
—Randy L. Friedman, The Conversation, 16 Feb. 2024
The digital files are incorporeal.
—BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2021
Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026
Positioned as a large-scale genre event, the series updates the legendary SFX property with a contemporary political and social edge, with Shun Oguri leading the cast as a detective hunting a seemingly incorporeal killer.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Jan. 2026
In fact, magical life has the potential to be even more radically incorporeal than our own.
—Literary Hub, 26 June 2025
Indeed, in stark contrast to the incorporeal nature of a digital image, each of Winant’s photographs is, in a sense, a discrete body: a fallible material entity that boasts a hidden physical history and that will compositionally deteriorate over time.
—Jessica Simmons-Reid, Artforum, 1 June 2025
Christ Jesus’ example shows us how to turn away from material definitions of life by getting to know God as incorporeal divine Life.
—Larissa Snorek, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Mar. 2025
To the casual observer, the data industry can seem incorporeal, its products conjured out of weightless bits.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Oct. 2024
If reason teaches that God is incorporeal, this means that God has no body; God does not physically see, nor do people see God.
—Randy L. Friedman, The Conversation, 16 Feb. 2024
The digital files are incorporeal.
—BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incorporeal
Adjective
-
Across TikTok, Instagram, Threads, YouTube, Goodreads, and Reddit, reactions have focused less on the craft of fiction writing than on the spiritual subjugation of women that any media about this topic must, by nature, interrogate and include.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2026
-
During his trial in January, prosecutors said the former actor weaponized his reputation as a Lakota medicine man, exploiting cultural traditions and spiritual beliefs to prey on Indigenous women and girls.—
Janelle Ash,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Glenn Turner, the former owner of a pagan and metaphysical shop, is running as a member of the Green Party.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
Matarrese delves into the history underlying these two women’s longstanding feud and arrives at a tragicomic, inventive meditation on the metaphysical possibility of reconciliation and forgiveness.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The former is right up the alley of fans of supernatural thrillers, while the latter pulls back the curtain on the invention of reality TV.—
Kat Chen,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
-
But where once engineers could use any raw ingredients at their disposal to make parts with almost supernatural structural abilities, the climate crisis dictates a change of strategy.—
Caitlin Kennedy,
Scientific American,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But following elite competition is nearly impossible, with subtle flicks and jabs practically invisible to the naked eye—and competitors hidden behind masks.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Therefore, the researchers now plan to improve detection efficiency and push sensitivity even further, with the hope of identifying other ultra-rare isotopes that have so far remained invisible.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The important things are often bodiless.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Her testimony led to the U.K.’s first bodiless murder conviction.—
Udita Jhunjhunwala,
Variety,
22 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Without careful scrutiny, investors risk paying premium valuations for technological capabilities that are still experimental, limited in scope, or economically immaterial.—
Perrie M. Weiner,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
-
In such a scenario, the size of a warhead stockpile may prove immaterial, argued Eveleth.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In Ayurveda, Prana, the life force carried by the breath, is understood to nourish both the mind and body and can be viewed as a nonphysical substance, finer than oxygen.—
Trisha Swift,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
-
In accounting, intangible assets are nonphysical possessions including such things as brands and intellectual property, software, mineral rights ‒ and contracts.—
Alexander Coolidge,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incorporeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incorporeal. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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