SENSUAL Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'sensual' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of sensual are animal , carnal , and fleshly . While all these words mean "having a relation to the body," 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

Q: When could 'animal' be used to replace 'sensual'?

Although the words animal and sensual have much in common, animal stresses the physical as distinguished from the rational nature of a person. // led a mindless animal existence

Q: When might 'carnal' be a better fit than 'sensual'?

In some situations, the words carnal and sensual are roughly equivalent. However, 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: How are the words 'fleshly' and 'carnal' related as synonyms of 'sensual'?

Fleshly is less derogatory than carnal . // a saint who had experienced fleshly temptations

sensual

adjective

ˈsen(t)-sh(ə-)wəl

Definition of sensual next

as in sensuous

pleasing to the physical senses the sensual feel of a velvet shirt against the skin

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How is the word sensual different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of sensual are animal, carnal, and fleshly. While all these words mean "having a relation to the body," 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

When could animal be used to replace sensual?

Although the words animal and sensual have much in common, animal stresses the physical as distinguished from the rational nature of a person.

led a mindless animal existence

When might carnal be a better fit than sensual?

In some situations, the words carnal and sensual are roughly equivalent. However, 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

How are the words fleshly and carnal related as synonyms of sensual?

Fleshly is less derogatory than carnal.

a saint who had experienced fleshly temptations

Examples 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 sensual Other frescos show the sensual embrace of a satyr (a half-man, half-goat) and a nymph (a maiden goddess). —

Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Oct. 2024 Acqua di Gio gives off a sensual blend of bergamot and bourbon at 25% off, and A Hold on Me has sweet notes of tiger lily and berries and is discounted by 40%. —

Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 24 Oct. 2024 There is a pleasurable, almost sensual aspect to both their works. —

Nargess Banks, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024 Inspired by Mary Magdalene, a figure both revered and reviled in Catholic scripture, twigs uses her as a muse to explore and reclaim her own sensual reality, carving space for vulnerability, longing, and strength in stillness. —

Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sensual

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sensual

Adjective

His sensuous instinct for external expression is reinforced by the sensitive detail of his buildings at street level, but more dramatically by their massing into terraced setbacks in the higher stories — ironically, in response to a constraint, the New York zoning regulation of 1916.

David Netto, Curbed, 17 Oct. 2024
Each one provided a perverse kind of escapism: a dark fantasy depicting Miami as a dreamy, sensuous war zone dotted with glass skyscrapers, cobalt swimming pools, and pastels.

Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024