sensual

[ sen-shoo-uhl ]

See synonyms for sensual on Thesaurus.com

adjective

pertaining to, inclined to, or preoccupied with the gratification of the senses or appetites; carnal; fleshly.
lacking in moral restraints; lewd or unchaste.

arousing or exciting the senses or appetites.
worldly; materialistic; irreligious.
of or relating to the senses or physical sensation; sensory.
pertaining to the philosophical doctrine of sensationalism.

Origin of sensual

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin sēnsuālis, equivalent to sēnsu-, stem of sēnsus sense + -ālis -al¹

synonym study For sensual

1. Sensual, sensuous, voluptuous refer to experience through the senses. Sensual refers, often unfavorably, to the enjoyments derived from the senses, especially from the gratification or indulgence of physical appetites: a sensual delight in eating; sensual excesses. Sensuous refers, favorably or literally, to what is experienced through the senses: sensuous impressions; sensuous poetry. Voluptuous implies the luxurious gratification of sensuous or sensual desires: voluptuous joys; voluptuous beauty. See also carnal.

Other words for sensual

2	lascivious

See synonyms for sensual on Thesaurus.com

Other words from sensual

sen·su·al·ly, adverb
hy·per·sen·su·al, adjective
hy·per·sen·su·al·ness, noun
non·sen·su·al, adjective
sub·sen·su·al, adjective
trans·sen·su·al, adjective
un·sen·su·al, adjective

Words that may be confused with sensual

sensual , sensuous (see synonym study at the current entry)

Words Nearby sensual

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sensual in a sentence

Seeing him, his extra large lips whispered something to a fellow inmate as they shared sensual smiles.
Locked up in the Land of Liberty: Part II | Michael K. Lavers | July 14, 2021 | Washington Blade
Park directs with a creativity and confidence buoyed by his geographic relocation of the source material, introducing a playful chronology and leaning into bold, sensual images.
The Best International Movies on Netflix | Chris Grasinger | June 11, 2021 | Time
Blood is running free—sometimes gross, sometimes sensual—in pop culture.
Sex, Blood and Maroon 5: Pop Culture’s Wounds Run Deep | Lizzie Crocker | October 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The actor transformed from a sensual Marilyn Monroe to a whimsical Salvador Dali to a starving migrant mother, seamlessly.
The Man Behind Marilyn Malkovich | Justin Jones | October 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Game of Thrones had an overly sensual libertine while House of Cards had a manipulative psychopath.
It Ain't Easy Being Bisexual on TV | Amy Zimmerman | August 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

“Sexy Danger” has all the wild, sensual energy of “Drunk in Love,” but with absolutely no words!
Michael Cera’s ‘true that’ Review: So Melancholy, So Cool, So Damn Long | Amy Zimmerman | August 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
So I felt it was really important to create a very sensual film that could also tell a story.
Kate and Lottie Moss May Cover British ‘Vogue’; Penelope Cruz Directs Steamy Film for Agent Provocateur | The Fashion Beast Team | August 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Some peculiar lines between these contracted brows gave a character of ferocity to this forbidding and sensual face.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
How could she be at the same time both cruel and tender, both true and false, frank and secretive, spiritual and sensual?
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
The religion they preached was not adapted to please sensual men; even infidels admit that they preached a pure morality.
Gospel Philosophy | J. H. Ward
The sensual and abominable Carinus displayed the extravagancies of Heliogabalus, aggravated by the cruelty of Domitian.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry Withrow
His tastes and desires were manifested by his sensual lips, his small, dull eyes and throaty voice.
The Everlasting Arms | Joseph Hocking

British Dictionary definitions for sensual

sensual

/ (ˈsɛnsjʊəl) /

adjective

of or relating to any of the senses or sense organs; bodily
strongly or unduly inclined to gratification of the senses

tending to arouse the bodily appetites, esp the sexual appetite
of or relating to sensualism

Origin of sensual

C15: from Late Latin sensuālis, from Latin sēnsus sense . Compare French sensuel, Italian sensuale

Derived forms of sensual

sensually, adverb
sensualness, 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

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