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sensual

[sen-shoo-uh l]
See more synonyms for sensual on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. pertaining to, inclined to, or preoccupied with the gratification of the senses or appetites; carnal; fleshly.
  2. lacking in moral restraints; lewd or unchaste.
  3. arousing or exciting the senses or appetites.
  4. worldly; materialistic; irreligious.
  5. of or relating to the senses or physical sensation; sensory.
  6. pertaining to the philosophical doctrine of sensationalism.
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Origin of sensual

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin sēnsuālis, equivalent to sēnsu-, stem of sēnsus sense + -ālis -al1
Related formssen·su·al·ly, adverbhy·per·sen·su·al, adjectivehy·per·sen·su·al·ly, adverbhy·per·sen·su·al·ness, nounnon·sen·su·al, adjectivenon·sen·su·al·ly, adverbsub·sen·su·al, adjectivesub·sen·su·al·ly, adverbtrans·sen·su·al, adjectivetrans·sen·su·al·ly, adverbun·sen·su·al, adjectiveun·sen·su·al·ly, adverb
Can be confusedsensual sensuous (see synonym study at the current entry)

Synonyms

See more synonyms for sensual on Thesaurus.com
2. lascivious.

Synonym study

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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sensually

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • For a moment the thought of her flung across the bed and weeping stirred him sensually.

    Erik Dorn

    Ben Hecht

  • She loved me intellectually and sensually, but not with the soul.

    An Anarchist Woman

    Hutchins Hapgood

  • It was as if her hands, sensually understanding, were reaching voluptuously for his heart.

    Narcissus

    Evelyn Scott

  • The humor of it came home to her—that she should sensually feel the cold.

    Ewing\'s Lady

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • They're utilizing virtue as a cloak for the sensually tantalizing discussion of immorality.

    Gargoyles

    Ben Hecht

British Dictionary definitions for sensually

sensual

adjective
  1. of or relating to any of the senses or sense organs; bodily
  2. strongly or unduly inclined to gratification of the senses
  3. tending to arouse the bodily appetites, esp the sexual appetite
  4. of or relating to sensualism
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Derived Formssensually, adverbsensualness, noun

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for sensually

sensual

adj.

early 15c., "carnal, unspiritual;" mid-15c., "of or pertaining to the senses," from Middle French sensuel (15c.) and directly from Late Latin sensualis "endowed with feeling" (see sensuality). Meaning "connected with gratification of the senses," especially "lewd, unchaste" is attested from late 15c.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
sensually in Medicine

sensual

(sĕn′shōō-əl)
adj.
  1. Relating to or affecting any of the senses or a sense organ; sensory.
  2. Of, relating to, given to, or providing gratification of the physical and especially the sexual appetites.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.