carnal

adjective

car·​nal ˈkär-nᵊl 

1

a

: relating to or given to crude bodily pleasures and appetites

gluttony and other carnal activities

b

: marked by sexuality

carnal love

2

: bodily, corporeal

seen with carnal eyes

3

a

: temporal

carnal weapons

the superiority of the spiritual and eternal over the carnal

—H. O. Taylor

b

: worldly

a carnal mind

carnality

kär-ˈna-lə-tē 

noun

carnally

ˈkär-nə-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• earthborn
• earthbound
• earthly
• fleshly
• material
• mundane
• sublunary
• temporal
• terrene
• terrestrial
• worldly

Choose the Right Synonym for carnal

carnal, fleshly, sensual, animal 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.

gave in to carnal desires

fleshly is less derogatory than carnal.

a saint who had experienced fleshly temptations

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

animal stresses the physical as distinguished from the rational nature of a person.

led a mindless animal existence

Examples of carnal in a Sentence

the preacher warned that those who were interested only in carnal pursuits would not see the kingdom of heaven

a missionary who tends to the carnal needs of the people as well as to their spiritual concerns

Recent Examples on the Web

More importantly, Art and Patrick and Tashi all achieved a kind of carnal clarity. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2024

There’s always a visual dialogue between carnal desire and enlightened thinking. —Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2024

But as the Promise Keeper teens’ carnal urges begin to rise, that pledge of piety becomes harder to uphold. —Brittani Samuel, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024

The earliest designs on summer tomatoes are always the raw ones: tomato sandwiches, tomato salads, tomatoes peeled and sliced and fanned out on a platter, glistening like something more carnal than vegetal. —Emily Horton, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Late Latin; Anglo-French carnel, charnel, from Late Latin carnalis, from Latin carn-, caro flesh; akin to Greek keirein to cut — more at shear

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

carnal

adjective

car·​nal ˈkärn-ᵊl 

1

: of or relating to the body

2

: not spiritual : corporeal

3

: sensual sense 1

carnality

kär-ˈnal-ət-ē 

noun

carnally

ˈkärn-ᵊl-ē 

adverb