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
Example Sentences
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 WebAs Trey becomes a regular, the bathhouse acts as a home away from home, where friendly intimacy exists as surely as the carnal kind. Ilana Masad, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2022 Here, the passion Pearl feels is more charnel than carnal. Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Sep. 2022 Surrett pleaded guilty to two counts of carnal knowledge and two counts of indecent acts involving a minor in October 1994 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison at Fort Leavenworth, according to the records cited by Oregon Public Broadcasting.oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2022 There seemed to be much more to the story than the satisfaction of one man’s carnal needs. Nina Burleigh, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2021 Drake is lost inside his carnal desires and yearns for that special touch from his side-chick. Richy Rosario, Billboard, 27 June 2022 Both drugs and caviar suggest disposable income that is dog-eared for pleasure, and a bump done off the back of a hand adds a decidedly carnal element. Mackenzie Chung Fegan, Bon Appétit, 15 July 2022 Zoller stages it as a swinging ‘60s go-go dancing fever dream, accented by amusingly abstract (and non-explicit) acts of carnal coupling. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 July 2022 The notion of surrender is at the heart of Mike Hadreas’s carnal and sensual new album, Ugly Season. Jason Kyle Howard, The Atlantic, 17 June 2022 See More
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