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Synonym Chooser

How is the word fleshly different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of fleshly are animal, carnal, and sensual. While all these words mean "having a relation to the body," fleshly is less derogatory than carnal.

a saint who had experienced fleshly temptations

When might animal be a better fit than fleshly?

While the synonyms animal and fleshly are close in meaning, animal stresses the physical as distinguished from the rational nature of a person.

led a mindless animal existence

When is carnal a more appropriate choice than fleshly?

While in some cases nearly identical to fleshly, 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 would sensual be a good substitute for fleshly?

Although the words sensual and fleshly have much in common, 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 fleshly What the world desires, in short, is a glimpse of a video game, which no one will be able to play until 2025—a game that builds an entire alternative world, glowing with the promise of violence and other fleshly thrills. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2023 But the album offers more than deliciously hedonistic thrills: Thrusting us into their operatic world, this Brooklyn band makes peace with their dark memories and fleshly desires. Pitchfork, 6 Dec. 2023 When another girl, Addie (Mia Pak), tries to explain Jesus’ status as the Son of God—fully fleshly and fully divine—as the meeting of horizontal and vertical lines at the overlapping center of a Venn diagram, Beatrice fisks the idea earnestly. Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2022 The grateful nutcracker becomes a living prince and leads Clara through a spinning snowstorm of ballerinas to a sugary kingdom where flamenco-style dancers spin with twisting torsos and entwining arms as fleshly embodiments of Spanish chocolate. Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2022 There is a leveling effect to his approach, one that allows About Endlessness to find grandeur in the smallest of everyday moments while also highlighting the fallible, fleshly absurdity of even history’s most outsize figures. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 30 Apr. 2021 They were tempted by curiosity and hunger, by fleshly desires. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, The New Yorker, 18 Jan. 2021 When all seems lost, a magical, fleshly reappearance defies death’s despair. Longreads, 14 Apr. 2020 Our fleshly forms evolved to work within the tug of gravity. National Geographic, 12 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleshly
Adjective
  • Taking a broader temporal view of the crypto industry's evolution, of the over 24,000 cryptocurrencies listed on CoinGecko since 2014 to the end of 2023, over 50% have died.
    Max (Chong) Li, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
  • From there on out, the film takes a couple of major swings in the realm of its timeline — a strange temporal unfurling — as well as the seeming motives behind A.J. and Isaac’s arrival, and Camille’s readiness to host them alongside a friend who clearly needs some alone time.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 8 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • True connection requires full attention, not just physical presence.
    Jennifer Kamara, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
  • New technology such as genetic sequencing of environmental DNA and real-time imaging is making the identification of new marine species quicker and easier, but scientists still rely on collecting physical specimens for confirmation, which can be slow work, Taylor said.
    Katie Hunt, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • McBryde in particular seemed to enjoy exercising her acting chops on the song’s sensual antagonism.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 20 Mar. 2025
  • From plush Tuscan shearling and fluffy furs to structured tweeds and supple leathers, Yves Salomon paints a rich sensual experience that elevates its minimal, androgynous silhouettes.
    Angela Lei, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Most capture mundane experiences, impressive in their hyperrealistic way, but some are sublime, or surreal, or place you in a morally challenging position.
    Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The first 1% improvement starts with embracing the mundane: patching and updating.
    Morey Haber, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The other educator, 25-year-old Paxton Bean, is charged with official oppression and injury to a child with intentional bodily injury, a third-degree felony.
    Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Research shows that repeat COVID infections cause long-term damage to people’s vascular, neurological and other bodily systems.
    Nikki Morse, Baltimore Sun, 16 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Its civil servants have a track record of working fifty-to-sixty-hour weeks, based on spacecraft trajectories rather than terrestrial clocks.
    David W. Brown, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Whatever terrestrial fare, it’s bound to be different from what is available on the ISS, around 200 miles or more above the surface of the Earth.
    NBC News, NBC News, 19 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This seems rather an understatement to your correspondent., for the style, substance, silhouettes and scintillation of Anaïs C. jewels embody an earthly yet mystical mix of sustainably sourced, precious gemstones inside of primal jewelry forms.
    Kyle Roderick, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Now there is a new wave of missions—some crashing into the moon or missing entirely, but earthly technology is advancing and there have been some major successes.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • However, they are immediately attacked by a ferocious creature that seems not fully animal, not fully human.
    EW.com, EW.com, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Animal lovers will enjoy horseback riding or visiting one of the area’s animal sanctuaries.
    Katie Seemann, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Fleshly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleshly. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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