visceral
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to the viscera.
-
affecting the viscera.
-
of the nature of or resembling viscera.
-
characterized by or proceeding from instinct rather than intellect.
a visceral reaction.
-
characterized by or dealing with coarse or base emotions; earthy; crude.
a visceral literary style.
adjective
-
of, relating to, or affecting the viscera
-
characterized by intuition or instinct rather than intellect
Other Word Forms
- nonvisceral adjective
- unvisceral adjective
- viscerally adverb
Etymology
Origin of visceral
First recorded in 1565–75; from Medieval Latin viscerālis, equivalent to viscer(a) ( viscera ) + -ālis -al 1
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.
I didn’t know why it affected me, but it really did in a visceral and confusing way.
From Los Angeles Times
Listen to Girl Feels Good: A visceral ode to empowerment, femininity and healing on the dancefloor.
From BBC
Impressive world building gives a visceral texture to the environment that reflects the prickly emotions by those used, abused and cast off, who then reclaim their power by banding together.
From Salon
“When people feel badly, they can be prone to wanting to make themselves feel better through consuming food, drink, vacations, shopping — visceral pleasures.”
From MarketWatch
The new film, released on 19 December, takes audiences back to the astonishingly vivid landscapes of Pandora, but it also sends them on a visceral emotional journey.
From BBC
Definitions 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.
