Synonyms of fleshly

fleshly

adjective

ˈflesh-lē 

1

as in temporal

having to do with life on earth especially as opposed to that in heaven

a time of year when people shouldn't focus on fleshly concerns, but instead on spiritual matters

Synonyms & Similar Words

• temporal
• mundane
• physical
• terrestrial
• earthly
• animal
• bodily
• carnal
• worldly
• earthbound
• corporeal
• sublunary
• daily
• terrene
• corporal
• material
• earthborn
• unspiritual
• diurnal
• anthropocentric
• anthropic

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• heavenly
• celestial
• unearthly
• spiritual
• metaphysical
• divine
• religious
• supernal
• unworldly
• sacred
• nontemporal
• utopian
• devotional
• transcendent
• supernatural
• transcendental
• empyreal
• empyrean
• ethereal
• Elysian
• unearthly
• otherworldly
• extraterrestrial

2

as in physical

of or relating to the human body

the fleshly eye sees the only finished painting, but the mind's eye sees the genius behind its creation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• physical
• bodily
• corporeal
• carnal
• animal
• somatic
• physiological
• corporal
• anatomic
• sensual
• material
• sensuous
• hand-to-hand

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• mental
• psychological
• inner
• intellectual
• spiritual
• cerebral
• nonmaterial
• nonphysical
• immaterial
• metaphysical
• psychic
• incorporeal
• bodiless
• ethereal
• insubstantial

3

as in sensual

pleasing to the physical senses

returning campers looking forward to all the fleshly pleasures of home, including warm baths

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sensual
• carnal
• pleasant
• voluptuous
• sensuous
• delicious
• lush
• delightful
• luxurious
• corporeal
• bodily
• luscious
• pleasing
• pleasurable
• delectable
• agreeable
• gratifying
• dreamy
• palatable
• scrumptious
• epicurean
• self-indulgent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• painful
• uncomfortable
• harsh
• hideous
• disgusting
• foul
• icky

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

Recent Examples of fleshly

Imperfect fleshly reality occupies the stage, the region where bones crack and wounds suppurate, schlumpy humans fall for each other, and jealousy roams murderously free. —Justin Davidson, Vulture, 11 Mar. 2026

Murderbot has been realized in fleshly form in the sculpted body of Alexander Skarsgård, on the new Apple TV+ series of the same name. —Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 13 June 2025

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

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