Physical ˈfɪzɪkl Avoid Connected Purely Late Sense Adjective

• physical fitness
• physical appearance
• the ordeal has affected both her mental and physical health.
• he tends to avoid all physical contact.

physical

1. connected with a person’s body rather than their mind
• physical fitness
• physical appearance
• The ordeal has affected both her mental and physical health.
• He tends to avoid all physical contact.
• The centre offers activities for everyone, whatever your age or physical condition.
2. connected with things that actually exist or are present and can be seen, felt, etc. rather than things that only exist in a person’s mind
• the physical world/universe/environment
• the physical properties (= the colour, weight, shape, etc.) of copper
• She was intimidated by his physical presence.
• Is there any physical evidence to suggest that a crime has been committed?
3. according to the laws of nature
• It is a physical impossibility to be in two places at once.
• There does not seem to be any physical explanation for what they saw.
4. connected with the scientific study of forces such as heat, light, sound, etc. and how they affect objects
• physical laws
5. involving sex
• physical love
• They are having a physical relationship.
• The attraction between them is purely physical.
6. liking to touch other people a lot
• She's not very physical.
7. violent (used to avoid saying this in a direct way)
• Are you going to cooperate or do we have to get physical?

Extra Examples

• Our relationship was purely physical.
• The problem is purely physical, not mental.
• The shock of the darkness was almost physical.

Word Origin

• late Middle English (in the sense ‘relating to medicine’): from medieval Latin physicalis, from Latin physica ‘things relating to nature’, from Greek phusikē (epistēmē) ‘(knowledge) of nature’. Sense 2 dates from the late 16th cent. and sense 1 from the late 18th cent.