CARNAL Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: How do 'fleshly' and 'carnal' relate to one another?

Fleshly is less derogatory than carnal . // a saint who had experienced fleshly temptations

Q: 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

carnal

adjective

ˈkär-nᵊl

Definition of carnal

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

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

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 Misty Roberts, 44, was sentenced June 9 after being found guilty in March of carnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile, both felonies, according to KPLC, The Guardian and Louisiana Radio Network. — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026 The former make for an easy snack (carnal or cuisine), while the latter are an even more fleeting annoyance. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 June 2026 Follower counts increase exponentially; their DMs are flooded with curses and propositions, both business-related and carnal. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 21 May 2026 The girls follow his trail of tears to Divine (Erika Alexander), a charismatic preacher still in the carnal thrall of her time with their father. — Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 15 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for carnal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnal

Adjective

Natalie Dattilo Psychologist Between regular exposure to the mundane and increased access to everything else, worries stack — and so does stress and anxiety.

— Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Even Santos’ mundane stories sound like character-building arcs in a rugged epic, never mind the ones involving animal run-ins.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of mundane

Adjective

Her physical absence changes nothing about the circumstances of our friendship.

— Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
This is just a normal part of growing older, according to conventional wisdom, as if aging were a one-way street of physical decline.

— Leana S. Wen, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of physical

Adjective

The most sensual scene in the movie is actually a dance number at a public gathering where the two characters slowly sway and caress each other, much to the horror and confusion of the other townsfolk.

— Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
For 1937, which is dominated by shades of green, blue, khaki, and sand, Cobos looked to Claire Denis’s Beau Travail (1999), a sensual psychological drama about French Foreign Legionnaires in Djibouti.

— Elaina Patton, Vogue, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of sensual

Adjective

Blending 1970s sci-fi aesthetics with a timeless world where cell phones are the only markers of temporal difference, the film blurs the boundaries between memory, history and the supernatural.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026
The team tested whether the hardware could distinguish temporal patterns using four consecutive input signals that could each be switched on or off.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of temporal

Adjective

The office’s misdemeanor section is a development ground and steppingstone for young prosecutors who take mostly DWIs and assault causing bodily injury to a family member cases to trial.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
MacIntosh also points out that the fecal avoidance experiment bears little connection to how the initial outbreak spread, through bodily fluids transmitted through scratches or bites.

— Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of bodily

Adjective

Hence, customers with Rogers can expect the carrier to continue offering Starlink Mobile as an additional service alongside its terrestrial cell service.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 23 Oct. 2026
One company makes electric cars that are inherently terrestrial, ferrying millions of drivers on roads around the world.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of terrestrial

Adjective

Vegetable Oils Vegetable and seed oils are some of the richest non-animal dietary sources of CoQ10.

— Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 16 July 2026
Computer models and other non-animal testing methods still aren’t the best available science, critics contend.

— Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026

Definition of animal

Adjective

Outside stands a statue of an infirm John Paul II leaning on his papal staff — a reminder of the pontiffs who have been treated here, and of their earthly frailty.

— Claudio Lavanga, NBC news, 18 Oct. 2026
The community advocated a spiritual life and represented their idea of an earthly paradise.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of earthly

Browse Nearby Words

carnages

carnal

carnality

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Style

“Carnal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/carnal. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of carnal

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