sensual
Americanadjective
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pertaining to, inclined to, or preoccupied with the gratification of the senses or appetites; carnal; fleshly.
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lacking in moral restraints; lewd or unchaste.
- Synonyms:
- lascivious
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arousing or exciting the senses or appetites.
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of or relating to the senses or physical sensation; sensory.
-
pertaining to the philosophical doctrine of sensationalism.
adjective
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of or relating to any of the senses or sense organs; bodily
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strongly or unduly inclined to gratification of the senses
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tending to arouse the bodily appetites, esp the sexual appetite
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of or relating to sensualism
Synonym Usage
Sensual, sensuous, voluptuous refer to experience through the senses. Sensual refers, often unfavorably, to the enjoyments derived from the senses, especially from the gratification or indulgence of physical appetites: a sensual delight in eating; sensual excesses. Sensuous refers, favorably or literally, to what is experienced through the senses: sensuous impressions; sensuous poetry. Voluptuous implies the luxurious gratification of sensuous or sensual desires: voluptuous joys; voluptuous beauty. See also carnal.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sensual
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin sēnsuālis, equivalent to sēnsu-, stem of sēnsus sense + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Sensual means physically pleasing. It often is used in a sexual context, but is not exclusively sexual in meaning. Sensual has to do with the five senses, but it comes with a hint of lewdness, a suggestion of sex. Although you could have a sensual meal or experience that doesn’t involve romance, if you want a word that refers to the five senses without any unsavory connotations, use its cousin sensuous.
Vocabulary lists containing sensual
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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Warm-up, List 5
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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.
He takes no sensual pleasure in his destruction of Othello and Cassio, just the studied satisfaction of a sociopath watching with appreciation, as if from a distance, the malignant results of his handiwork.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Evoking classics of the ‘60s and ’70s Latin American boom, the novel is sensual and darkly comic, suffused with the sense that, as Arias writes, “fate was a cruel, playful thing.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
The dread comes from fears of a reinterpretation of John Galsworthy’s Nobel Prize-winning books, collectively known as “The Forsyte Saga,” to suit an audience besotted with “Bridgerton” and other sensual period adaptations.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026
Designer Maria Grazia Chiuri marked her return to Fendi at Milan Fashion Week on Wednesday, presenting a sensual and lightweight collection featuring "remodelled" furs and leathers crafted like lace.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
For fear of his psychiatrist who was also their censor, they could never be sensual, or even emotional.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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.
