as in obsessive
extremely or overly neat, careful, or precise
I've always been anal about arranging my books alphabetically by author.
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Recent Examples of anal
Lorain police obtained two warrants to force doctors to search a suspect’s anal cavity.
—
Jon Schuppe, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2025
Hartman acts as Gene, who is... well, anal retentive.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 14 Feb. 2025
Anyone who enjoys anal stimulation or is interested in experimenting with anal play
1.
—Amanda Chatel, Glamour, 25 Feb. 2025
These include cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancer in women, and throat and anal cancer in both women and men.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anal
Jon Schuppe, NBC News, 23 Feb. 2025
Hartman acts as Gene, who is... well, anal retentive.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 14 Feb. 2025
Anyone who enjoys anal stimulation or is interested in experimenting with anal play
1.
—Amanda Chatel, Glamour, 25 Feb. 2025
These include cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancer in women, and throat and anal cancer in both women and men.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for anal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anal
Adjective
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Extreme deficits may lead to obsessive food tracking, anxiety around eating, or disordered eating patterns.—
Heather Jones,
Verywell Health,
19 Mar. 2025
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The remainder of the season Players have been encouraged by Howe to absorb the significance of their achievement, but this obsessive head coach will swiftly refocus — and then extend that message to the squad.—
Chris Waugh,
The Athletic,
18 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Nobody’s shooting on this season’s Longhorns would be mistaken for Stephen Curry’s, but Schaefer is adamant that this group stands out among his 20-year head-coaching career.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Still, Jenkins was adamant about not moving to the city.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The reporting requirements for school officials who suspect abuse have become stricter in the last 20 years, Pernerewski notes.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN,
23 Mar. 2025
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For instance, while Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert may try to adhere to a strict framing, Mulaney prefers a more meandering format between himself and announcer Richard Kind.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
23 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anal. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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