physical
of or relating to the body: physical exercise.
of or relating to that which is material: the physical universe; the physical sciences.
noting or pertaining to the properties of matter and energy other than those peculiar to living matter.
pertaining to the physical sciences, especially physics.
carnal; sexual: a physical attraction.
tending to touch, hug, pat, etc.; physically demonstrative: a physical person.
requiring, characterized by, or liking rough physical contact or strenuous physical activity: Football is a physical sport.
Origin of physical
1synonym study For physical
Other words for physical
Other words from physical
- phys·i·cal·ly, adverb
- phys·i·cal·ness, noun
- an·ti·phys·i·cal, adjective
- an·ti·phys·i·cal·ly, adverb
- an·ti·phys·i·cal·ness, noun
- non·phys·i·cal, adjective
- non·phys·i·cal·ly, adverb
- qua·si-phys·i·cal, adjective
- qua·si-phys·i·cal·ly, adverb
- trans·phys·i·cal, adjective
- trans·phys·i·cal·ly, adverb
- un·phys·i·cal, adjective
- un·phys·i·cal·ly, adverb
Words Nearby physical
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use physical in a sentence
A guideline to improve children’s physical health, for example, includes using AI to help tackle environmental pollution.
Why kids need special protection from AI’s influence | Karen Hao | September 17, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewHowever, coronavirus threw a spanner in the works for physical stores.
Apple’s online store plan for India is the right move at the right time | Ananya Bhattacharya | September 14, 2020 | QuartzDuring the pandemic, getting enough physical activity may be even more difficult than usual.
Healthy screen time is one challenge of distance learning | Kathryn Hulick | September 11, 2020 | Science News For StudentsSome school districts are trying to bring younger kids into physical classrooms before older kids.
Creative school plans could counter inequities exposed by COVID-19 | Sujata Gupta | September 8, 2020 | Science NewsFor her events, she always include “artifacts,” as Haskins calls them, or vignettes primed for social media—a way for the event to extend beyond the physical room.
How nonprofits are catering to millennials and rethinking the charity gala for younger generations | Rachel King | September 7, 2020 | Fortune
Also, she was tall and thin, too, further adding to the ways she met the physical beauty conventions.
Why Was Bess Myerson the First and Last Jewish Miss America? | Emily Shire | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd with the dance sequence, we wanted something very physical.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness | Marlow Stern | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTBut this physical involvement, or lack of it, is only part of the problem.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly? | Clive Irving | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIf the operation caused no physical damage, it would be in bounds.
That means any response that could result in physical damage inside North Korea is off the table.
The foreman's immense voice, explaining machines and tools, caused physical vibrations in her.
Hilda Lessways | Arnold BennettThe two enjoyed a mutual understanding from which he was excluded, a private intimacy that was spiritual, mental,— physical.
The Wave | Algernon BlackwoodIts continued presence in pulmonary tuberculosis is, however, a grave prognostic sign, even when the physical signs are slight.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddI rejoice in being able to say that the general tendency of the speeches was towards universal Emancipation, mental and physical.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyHis entire being now relaxed itself; and his physical system found relief in long, deep sighs.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
British Dictionary definitions for physical
/ (ˈfɪzɪkəl) /
of or relating to the body, as distinguished from the mind or spirit
of, relating to, or resembling material things or nature: the physical universe
involving or requiring bodily contact: rugby is a physical sport
of or concerned with matter and energy
of or relating to physics
perceptible to the senses; apparent: a physical manifestation
short for physical examination
- See also physicals
Derived forms of physical
- physically, adverb
- physicalness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with physical
see get physical.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse