fleshly

American  

[flesh-lee] / ˈflɛʃ li /

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.

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fleshly British  

/ ˈflɛʃlɪ /

adjective

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

   fleshly desire

2. worldly as opposed to spiritual

3. fleshy; fat

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Related Words

See carnal.

Other Word Forms

• fleshliness noun

Etymology

Origin of fleshly

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

Example Sentences

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.

From Salon • Jan. 31, 2024

“There were some fleshly remains and the odor was so foul,” the villager said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 29, 2021

What if the fear of machines “like us” masks a deeper terror, the terror of machine agency that disdains language and exceeds fleshly containment?

From The New Yorker • Apr. 15, 2019

As the latter expertly picked out Radiohead’s moody arpeggios, Chappelle delivered the song’s bitter words about self-disgust while simultaneously miming his enjoyment of the fleshly display surrounding him.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2017

And, in truth, the courage of heroes facing fleshly odds might have paled by the side of that gigantic friar, and his still more gigantic composure.

From The Cloister and the Hearth A Tale of the Middle Ages by Reade, Charles