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
Relevance
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
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
Wasserman was long presumed to be an mere philanthropic acquaintance of the vile and very well connected Epstein (who died in mysterious circumstances in a NYC jail in 2019), the massive document dump by Donald Trump‘s DOJ in late January revealed a carnal 2003 correspondence with Maxwell.
—
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for carnal
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 13 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for carnal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for carnal
Adjective
-
Bowman, for his part, said his reasoning for bringing the pole up for discussion was much more mundane than some were suggesting.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Those consumers have been increasingly seeking out solutions to ease the physical process, according to Circana.—
Laya Neelakandan,
CNBC,
2 May 2026
-
In these kinds of experiments, participants are told to practice physical activities—finger tapping, coin tossing, dart throwing with a nondominant hand—within their dreams.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
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.—
Erika Harwood,
Vanity Fair,
30 Apr. 2026
-
His litany of urgently treacly smashes was the soundtrack of that era, both a master class in minimal form that updated the mercenary structures of the Brill Building and Frank Sinatra, and also a cool and controlled reimagining of the sensual soul music of the late ’60s through the mid-70s.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
An observer on Jupiter, five times as far away as the Earth is from the Sun, sees the Sun as just one-twenty-fifth as bright as a terrestrial observer would, while an observer on Neptune, thirty times as distant as on Earth, sees the Sun to be just one-nine-hundredth as bright.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
1 May 2026
-
Fruiting bodies of these terrestrial mushrooms are found in forests, parks, and plantations in late summer and autumn.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Regulators are trying to push drug development into a post-animal testing era.—
Meghana Keshavan,
STAT,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
