corporeal

American  

[kawr-pawr-ee-uhl, -pohr-] / kɔrˈpɔr i əl, -ˈpoʊr- /

adjective

1. of the nature of the physical body; bodily.

   Antonyms:

   spiritual

2. material; tangible.

   corporeal property.

   Antonyms:

   intangible

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corporeal British  

/ kɔːˈpɔːrɪəl /

adjective

1. of the nature of the physical body; not spiritual

2. of a material nature; physical

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Related Words

See physical.

Other Word Forms

• corporeality noun
• corporeally adverb
• corporealness noun
• noncorporeal adjective
• noncorporeality noun
• transcorporeal adjective

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!)

Example Sentences

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

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

These patrons continue to misunderstand the corporeal appeal of someone like Joe Rogan, an allure that can’t be articulated within the bloodless context of a boardroom meeting.

From Slate • May 21, 2025

Chris Peppé told the BBC that in all the monasteries he had visited "no Buddhists regard these as corporeal relics".

From BBC • May 3, 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