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

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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

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as in sensual

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

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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

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

High dynamic range, 4K finishing and temporal consistency remain significant challenges, even as Eyeline advances its own solutions.

— Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
The team tested whether the hardware could distinguish temporal patterns using four consecutive input signals that could each be switched on or off.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of temporal

Adjective

Habits are usually paired with physical or emotional cues, and disrupting those cues can disrupt the habit.

— Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
There was also a physical dispute between Parillo and Amy Helm after her removal, during which police were called to LHS in Woodstock.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of physical

Adjective

The high-shine garment was seemingly painted onto Megan’s frame, both sleek and sensual, much like lingerie.

— Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2026
Such is the case with black faux-leather skirts—the bold and sensual style serves as the perfect anchor for incorporating more colors into your wardrobe.

— Michel Mejía, Glamour, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of sensual

Adjective

Large swaths of the film are composed of close-ups of people’s faces or hands, giving seemingly mundane exchanges and gestures — say, a moment when Evans, unimpressed with Holmes’s egg-whisking technique, confiscates the bowl — greater weight.

— Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026
But even the mundane conversations were remarkable in their unremarkableness.

— Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of mundane

Adjective

Brian Peralta Cabrera, 18, of Queens, was charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics resulting in death and serious bodily injury.

— Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026
The parents admit to some corporal punishment, but of a mild sort—the kind that might startle a child but which wouldn’t do bodily harm.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of bodily

Adjective

That’s why the stocks reacted, because people finally came to terms with the fact that Elon is actually going to build a terrestrial network.

— Nilay Patel, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2026
Too aquatic for roads, yet too terrestrial for boats, boglands remain some of the most remote and difficult landscapes to access.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of terrestrial

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 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of fleshly

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