spiritual

[spir-i-choo-uhl]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or consisting of spirit; incorporeal.

2. of or relating to the spirit or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature.

   a spiritual approach to life.

3. closely akin in interests, attitude, outlook, etc..

   the professor's spiritual heir in linguistics.

4. of or relating to spirits or to spiritualists; supernatural or spiritualistic.

5. characterized by or suggesting predominance of the spirit; ethereal or delicately refined.

   She is more of a spiritual type than her rowdy brother.

6. of or relating to the spirit as the seat of the moral or religious nature.

7. of or relating to sacred things or matters; religious; devotional; sacred.

8. of or belonging to the church; ecclesiastical.

   lords spiritual and temporal.

9. of or relating to the mind or intellect.

noun

1. a spiritual or religious song, especially one composed by and for Black Americans during the period of legalized slavery in the United States.

   Spirituals like “Go Down, Moses” were sometimes used as signals on the Underground Railroad.

2. spirituals, affairs of the church.

3. a spiritual thing or matter.

spiritual

/ ˈspɪrɪtjʊəl /

adjective

1. relating to the spirit or soul and not to physical nature or matter; intangible

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of sacred things, the Church, religion, etc

3. standing in a relationship based on communication between the souls or minds of the persons involved

   a spiritual father

4. having a mind or emotions of a high and delicately refined quality

noun

1. See Negro spiritual

2. (often plural) the sphere of religious, spiritual, or ecclesiastical matters, or such matters in themselves

3. the realm of spirits

Other Word Forms

• spiritually adverb
• spiritualness noun
• antispiritual adjective
• antispiritually adverb
• nonspiritual adjective
• nonspiritually adverb
• nonspiritualness noun
• pseudospiritual adjective
• pseudospiritually adverb
• quasi-spiritual adjective
• quasi-spiritually adverb
• superspiritual adjective
• superspiritually adverb
• unspiritual adjective
• unspiritually adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of spiritual¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Medieval Latin spīrituālis, from Latin spīritu(s) spirit + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

As “True Nature” illustrates, “The Snow Leopard” differs from Matthiessen’s previous nonfiction because it melds science with a spiritual quest, incorporating the author’s newfound zeal for Zen Buddhism.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

We broke up within a month, and my life became a California cliche: I joined a cult-like spiritual practice with a glamorous Indian guru.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

For others, it might be a religious or spiritual space, a blanket on the sand near the ocean, or a favorite chair next to a window.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Nvidia has become the spiritual index of the AI cycle, the load-bearing pillar of the market’s most crowded macro story,” said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management, in an emailed note Monday.

Read more on MarketWatch

It said this was because they "associate them with spiritual forces opposed to God and goodness".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• divine 
• metaphysical 
• sacred