corporeal
Americanadjective
-
of the nature of the physical body; bodily.
- Antonyms:
- spiritual
-
material; tangible.
corporeal property.
- Antonyms:
- intangible
adjective
-
of the nature of the physical body; not spiritual
-
of a material nature; physical
Synonym Usage
See physical.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of corporeal
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin corpore(us) “bodily” ( corpor- (stem of corpus “body”) + -eus adjective suffix) + -al 1
Explanation
Use the adjective corporeal to describe something that has to do with the body, like when your teacher catches you daydreaming and says you need to bring your mental sharpness, not just your corporeal presence to the classroom. Corporeal describes something that has a physical form. It is the opposite of spiritual or emotional. Something that is corporeal exists in the real world. It’s sort of a fancy way of saying bodily or physical. So when you crave double-cheese pizza with sausage and pepperoni, you could blame it on a corporeal need. (It’s a way to make junk-food cravings sound a little bit grand!)
Vocabulary lists containing corporeal
ASVAB Word Knowledge
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Body Language: Corp ("Body")
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A Wrinkle in Time
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Backed into a corner by the threat of a career-ending scandal—one that would not only undo her but also her blithely trusting editor — Elizabeth agrees to make the fantasy corporeal.
From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025
These, however, also feel funereal, like death masks taken after a long-suffering friend has been freed finally from corporeal struggles.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025
He said that in all the monasteries he had visited "no Buddhists regard these as corporeal relics".
From BBC • Jul. 31, 2025
Before that, Serra could most often be found mining France’s centuries past for mordant tableau vivants of corporeal concern, most notably in his protracted bedchamber drama “The Death of Louis XIV.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 18, 2025
The volunteers began to dump water on the fire almost as though they might even so late save some corporeal part of the family.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
