spiritual

[spir-i-choo-uh l] /ˈspɪr ɪ tʃu əl/
adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, or consisting of spirit; incorporeal.
2.
of or pertaining to the spirit or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature:
a spiritual approach to life.
3.
closely akin in interests, attitude, outlook, etc.:
the professor's spiritual heir in linguistics.
4.
of or pertaining to spirits or to spiritualists; supernatural or spiritualistic.
5.
characterized by or suggesting predominance of the spirit; ethereal or delicately refined:
She is more of a spiritual type than her rowdy brother.
6.
of or pertaining to the spirit as the seat of the moral or religious nature.
7.
of or pertaining to sacred things or matters; religious; devotional; sacred.
8.
of or belonging to the church; ecclesiastical:
lords spiritual and temporal.
9.
of or relating to the mind or intellect.
noun
10.
a spiritual or religious song:
authentic folk spirituals.
11.
spirituals, affairs of the church.
12.
a spiritual thing or matter.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English < Medieval Latin spīrituālis, equivalent to Latin spīritu- (stem of spīritus spirit) + -ālis -al1
Related forms
spiritually, adverb
spiritualness, noun
antispiritual, adjective
antispiritually, adverb
nonspiritual, adjective, noun
nonspiritually, adverb
nonspiritualness, noun
pseudospiritual, adjective
pseudospiritually, adverb
quasi-spiritual, adjective
quasi-spiritually, adverb
superspiritual, adjective
superspiritually, adverb
unspiritual, adjective
unspiritually, adverb
Can be confused
spirited, spiritual, spiritualistic.
Examples from the web for spiritual
  • spiritual use of cannabis discusses sacramental and religious use.
  • They see this spiritual reality as the only reality and all else as illusion or error.
  • However, she rejected a material perspective in favor of a spiritual one.
  • Necessary for salvation because it conveys spiritual rebirth.
  • Common themes involve fear, spiritual crisis and social isolation.
  • spiritual authority to me and secular to him, over the nation free and united.
  • The latter narrates the moral and spiritual decline of a high society courtesan.
  • Despite the dim times, this was a period of great achievements in spiritual culture.
  • She did much spiritual teaching, lecturing, and instantaneous healing.
  • The curse is a psychological and spiritual imbalance that results from these beliefs.
British Dictionary definitions for spiritual

spiritual

/ˈspɪrɪtjʊəl/
adjective
1.
relating to the spirit or soul and not to physical nature or matter; intangible
2.
of, relating to, or characteristic of sacred things, the Church, religion, etc
3.
standing in a relationship based on communication between the souls or minds of the persons involved: a spiritual father
4.
having a mind or emotions of a high and delicately refined quality
noun
5.
See Negro spiritual
6.
(often pl) the sphere of religious, spiritual, or ecclesiastical matters, or such matters in themselves
7.
the spiritual, the realm of spirits
Derived Forms
spiritually, adverb
spiritualness, noun
Word Origin and History for spiritual
adj.

"of or concerning the spirit" (especially in religious aspects), c.1300, from Old French spirituel (12c.), from Latin spiritualis, from spiritus "of breathing, of the spirit" (see spirit (n.)). Meaning "of or concerning the church" is attested from mid-14c. The noun sense of "African-American religious song" first recorded 1866.