noun
-
the state or quality of being physical
-
the physical characteristics of a person, object, etc
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of physicality
Explanation
Physicality is the quality of being closely connected in some way to the body. The physicality of your modern dance might surprise your audience, who weren't expecting so much stomping around and rolling on the floor. You can also use the term physicality for things that are real, concrete and tangible: "I liked the physicality of that art exhibit, all of those huge sculptures that we could touch." It often refers to the presence of physical human bodies, though: "The physicality of the toddlers' play surprised me — they looked like professional wrestlers!" The key to this noun's meaning is the presence of physical, "relating to the body."
Vocabulary lists containing physicality
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.
See Examples For:
Even with replacement prop Mona Lisa Tupou being sent to the sin bin for a scrum infringement, their resistance and physicality stayed high and was rewarded with Zackary's late score.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
And, all the while, the hosts were making headway at the gainline, buying territory with brute physicality - an aspect of the game which is usually England's trademark.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
The massive shoulder gives him weight and solidity; yet his frizzled hair becomes smoke, his expression remains impenetrable, and the surrounding darkness and dissolving lower torso undermine that physicality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
But with Berlant, it’s not just about the jokes; it’s about the rhythm and physicality that accompany them.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
I liked losing myself in the physicality of sport where I didn’t have to think or plan for what was next.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
“He wasn’t just playing three characters, but three different layers of the same character, each with unique looks, vocal ranges, physicalities and emotions,” says Matt Duffer, one of the show’s creators.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
Gladstone and DiCaprio fit persuasively even if their characters have contrasting vibes, temperaments and physicalities.
From New York Times ● May 20, 2023
The performances are clever, from the actresses’ barbed line deliveries to their exaggerated physicalities.
From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2022
When I experience pain, my face can get weird, and I can get really quiet, so I wanted to explore the physicalities of it, because I haven't been able to do that.
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2021
Where now his metaphysics, his gibes on the physicalities, the moralities, the spiritualities?—all bundled up in a vibrating chord.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume XXII by John Mackay Wilson
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
