fleshly

[flesh-lee]

adjective

fleshlier, fleshliest 

1. of or relating to the flesh or body; bodily, corporeal, or physical.

2. carnal; sensual.

   fleshly pleasures.

3. worldly, rather than spiritual.

4. having a sensuous quality.

   the fleshly poetry of the 17th century.

5. Obsolete.,  having much flesh; fleshy.

fleshly

/ ˈflɛʃlɪ /

adjective

1. relating to the body, esp its sensual nature; carnal

   fleshly desire

2. worldly as opposed to spiritual

3. fleshy; fat

Other Word Forms

• fleshliness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fleshly¹

before 900; Middle English; Old English flǣsclic. See flesh, -ly

Synonym Study

See carnal.

Example Sentences

Aside from the sinful association of fleshly pleasures, clerics were concerned that the long toe-pieces prevented people from kneeling in the approved obeisant manner.

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As many as 3,000 men at a time lived here, and for men in pain of one kind or another, worldly distractions beckoned — not just cigars and magazines, but fleshly delights.

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He denied ever having an affair on the website and said, “The account was opened out of pure fleshly desires and out of simple curiosity.”

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In early Christianity, spiritual warfare meant one was to resist the Devil by engaging in forms of ascetic behavior, mastering fleshly desires, and cultivating Christian virtues like humility, self-control, and love of enemies.

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Two weeks prior to “Subspace Rhapsody,” they aired a crossover with the animated spinoff “Star Trek: Lower Decks,” in which cartoon characters became flesh and fleshly characters cartoons.

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