Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

carnal

/ˈkɑɹnəl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.97 in modern English

Syllables: car-nal
IPA: /ˈkɑɹnəl/

8

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Relating to the physical and especially sexual appetites or activities.

adj

Worldly or earthly; temporal.

adj

Of or relating to the body or flesh.

Example Sentences

"At the town of Mendes, in the principal temple, there was a living male goat, with which, if the statement of Herodotus is to be accepted, naked female worshippers actually had carnal intercourse."

Etymology

From Middle English carnal, from Old French charnel, from Late Latin carnālis (“fleshy”), from oblique stem of Latin carō, carnis (“meat, flesh”) + -ālis (whence -al).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *(s)ker-, carnal, charnel, carnālis
Suffix: la:carō

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɑɹnəl/

Inflected Forms

more carnal (comparative) most carnal (superlative)

Derived Forms

carnalism carnalist carnality carnalization carnalize carnally carnalness hypercarnal noncarnal uncarnal

Phrases

carnal knowledge

Frequently Paired Words

incarnate incarnation reincarnate reincarnation

Synonyms

animal fleshly sensual

Rhymes With

parnell carnell yarnell farnell karnal arnell arnall darnall yarnall darnel varnell carneal

Questions

How do you pronounce carnal?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɑɹnəl/.
What does carnal mean?: Relating to the physical and especially sexual appetites or activities.
Where does carnal come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce carnal

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “carnal”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɑɹnəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “carnal”.
Repeat and practice — Say “carnal” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.