visceral

[ vis-er-uh l ]

/ ˈvɪs ər əl /

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.

QUIZZES

THIS WEEK’S WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ IS POSITIVELY FELICIFIC

Do you study our Words of the Day with great assiduity? See how many you remember from March 30 to April 5!

Question 1 of 7

transliterate

to remove or destroy all traces of.

to change (letters, words, etc.), into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language.

to explain in terms that can be more easily understood.

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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

Words nearby visceral

visc., viscacha, viscaria, viscera, viscerad, visceral, visceral anesthesia, visceral arch, visceral cleft, visceral disease virus, visceral ganglion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for viscerally

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

I could just sort of viscerally feel that there was something real going on there.
Chang-rae Lee: How I Write|Noah Charney|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for viscerally

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

Medical definitions for viscerally

visceral

[ vĭs′ər-əl ]

adj.

Relating to, situated in, or affecting the viscera.