visceral

[ vis-er-uhl ]

/ ˈvɪs ər əl /

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See synonyms for visceral on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of visceral

1565–75; <Medieval Latin viscerālis, equivalent to viscer- (see viscera) + -ālis-al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM visceral

vis·cer·al·ly, adverbnon·vis·cer·al, adjectiveun·vis·cer·al, adjective

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

How to use visceral in a sentence

The absence of galleries — and the ropes used to contain them — could actually be more than just a visceral change.
Masters golfers won’t see the blooms, but they will really miss hearing the roars|Barry Svrluga|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
“All of these things, together with a visceral distrust of the president, has created a perfect storm for what could be historic levels of youth turnout this year.”
Gen Z, Millennial voters embrace activism and voting, as youth turnout surges ahead of Election Day|Michelle Lee|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
It is a visceral response to the threat of equality in digital conversations and arenas that men would prefer to control.
The Greatest Threat to Democracy Might Not Be What You Expect|Shaan Merchant|October 28, 2020|Ozy
In fact, after enjoying the visceral effect of zooming in and out of the entire universe I found myself methodically stepping through the scales and reading each snippet.
The App That Offers Cosmic Awe - Facts So Romantic|Caleb Scharf|October 21, 2020|Nautilus

Standing there in Utah, I experienced for the first time the visceral disorientation caused by violence impacting my loved ones.
How Biking Across America Formed an Unlikely Friendship|Raffi Joe Wartanian|October 8, 2020|Outside Online
And when he shaved clean the perfectly coiffed hair, she was viscerally horrified.
From Fashion Player to Photographer Monk|Nina Strochlic|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Art is often said to “speak” to its viewer, but it is rare for this to happen so viscerally and clearly.
In Hands of Hungarian Artist, Jewish Home Movies of the ’30s a Warning of Coming Holocaust|Daniel Genis|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With Obama going back into Iraq and with ISIS, viscerally I feel like we should do this, but can we think this through?
Rory Kennedy on ‘Last Days in Vietnam,’ the Parallels Between Vietnam and Iraq, and Ferguson|Marlow Stern|September 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Is there a moment like that which viscerally inspired you to write Third Person?
Paul Haggis on Scientology, the ‘Crash’ Oscar, and ‘Third Person’|Kevin Fallon|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you were to witness somebody acting like Jonah, it would just give you a really viscerally disgusting feeling.
Veep’s Jonah Is TV’s Most Insufferable Character (But We Love Him)|Kevin Fallon|April 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for visceral

visceral

/ (ˈvɪsərəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or affecting the viscera

characterized by intuition or instinct rather than intellect

Derived forms of visceral

viscerally, adverb

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

visceral

Origin of visceral

OTHER WORDS FROM visceral

Words related to visceral

How to use visceral in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for visceral

Derived forms of visceral