FLESHLY Synonyms: 90 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

fleshly

adjective

ˈflesh-lē

Definition of fleshly

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 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 Belief in being a personal soul trapped in a fleshly body would invert this true view. — Tony Lobl, Christian Science Monitor, 5 Mar. 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fleshly

Adjective

The study also establishes Cygnus X-3 as the first ultra-high-energy gamma-ray source known to show temporal variability.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Aug. 2026
In the first, eight dogs viewed happy and neutral faces, and happy faces triggered a stronger response in a region of the right temporal cortex extending into the caudate nucleus.

— Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of temporal

Adjective

At face value, young men exercising should not be reason to sound the alarms, and yet there is something treacherous about men in their formative years placing physical beauty as the ultimate expression of self-actualization.

— José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 27 Aug. 2026
Back in 2015, Parton and her team buried a chestnut box filled with physical copies of a brand new song in two formats, cassette and CD, along with their corresponding players, under her Dollywood DreamMore Resort and Spa.

— Isabelle Farina, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of physical

Adjective

This isn’t Musgraves’ first venture into lifestyle products with a distinctly sensual bent.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 21 Aug. 2026
With the new immersive sound system, orchestra impact becomes a matter of technology, giving individual instruments paranormal prominence and turning full orchestra glory into a sensual sound bath.

— Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of sensual

Adjective

More empowerment, fewer mundane tasks What Smolnikov describes is a reduction of routine tasks related to translation and market adaptation.

— Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
The movie is wondrously attuned to the mundane, to the absurd humor and gentle devastation that lives in the everyday — and in so much of his work.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of mundane

Adjective

Defense attorneys in both cases argued that the defendants’ intent was in question, raising in argument the possibility that their clients were not trying to cause serious bodily injury or death.

— Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
Both Walter and Lefever have pleaded not guilty to three counts of chronic neglect of a child causing great bodily harm and two counts of chronic neglect of a child causing emotional damage, his online records show.

— Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of bodily

Adjective

Unlike terrestrial data centers, orbital systems cannot rely on conventional air cooling.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026
Along with this are isotopes like Strontium-90, Rhodium-103, Palladium-105-110, and Americium-241, which have all sorts of medical, industrial, and space/terrestrial applications.

— David Szondy August 22, New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of terrestrial

Adjective

The eagerly anticipated new Los Angeles museum will welcome earthly visitors on September 22.

— Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Instead, Farage's main opponent is Count Binface, a political satirist posing as a comic space alien, with a keen interest in earthly matters, including the positioning of a hand dryer in the men's toilet in a pub in west London.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of earthly

Adjective

Vegetable Oils Vegetable and seed oils are some of the richest non-animal dietary sources of CoQ10.

— Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 16 July 2026
Computer models and other non-animal testing methods still aren’t the best available science, critics contend.

— Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026

Definition of animal

Cite this Entry

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“Fleshly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fleshly. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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