bodily
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to the body.
-
corporeal or material, as contrasted with spiritual or mental.
adverb
-
as a physical entity; as a complete physical unit.
The tornado picked him up bodily and threw him against the wall.
-
in person.
You have to appear bodily at the box office in order to have your reservation confirmed.
adjective
adverb
-
by taking hold of the body
he threw him bodily from the platform
-
in person; in the flesh
Synonym Usage
See physical.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bodily
First recorded in 1250–1300, bodily is from the Middle English word bodylich. See body, -ly
Explanation
The adjective bodily describes something that has to do with your physical self. Bodily functions include things that happen both inside your body, like digestion and breathing, and outside your body, like walking. If your new kitten scratches your arms, you might say that Mr. Whiskers has caused you bodily harm. In religion, bodily is sometimes used in contrast to "spiritual." As an adverb, this word can be used to mean "in a way that involves someone's body." Your little brother might sleep so soundly that when he falls asleep in the car, you have to carry him bodily into the house.
Vocabulary lists containing bodily
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.
Burials must be strictly supervised as the virus spreads by contact with bodily fluids, meaning corpses can remain contagious.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
As is the case for the majority of Americans, my cellphone was practically a bodily appendage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
For all these women, it took having terrible, even traumatizing experiences in these movements to make them realize that perhaps it’s not feminist claptrap to believe in equal rights and bodily autonomy.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
The progressive neurological condition, in which parts of the brain become damaged over many years, affects movement as well as bodily and mental functions, according to the NHS.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Instead there is everything you might eat if eating had no bodily consequences—the cheese fries, the chicken-fried steaks, the fudge-laden desserts—only here every bite must be paid for, one way or another, in human discomfort.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
