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unbodied

unbodied

9.9
Not having a physical form like a ghost or spirit
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈbɑːdid/
  • Archaic
translation icon : sin cuerpo
  • The story was filled with unbodied spirits that roamed the earth, unseen by the living.

Examples

  • In the folklore of some communities, unbodied souls are said to wander until they find peace.

  • Was the figure who ranged through the swamps and the desolate forests a lion, a man, or a fiend, an unbodied elemental?

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Many cultures believe in unbodied entities that influence the world without having a physical form.

Synonyms

disembodied
vsunbodied
15 8.0

Seeming to exist without a body, like a voice or spirit

means absence of a body itself rather than appearing separated from one
immaterial
vsunbodied
4 7.4

Not physical and cannot be touched

stresses absence of body specifically rather than general nonmaterial nature
incorporeal
vsunbodied
2 9.9

Not having a physical body or shape that you can touch

uses the same idea but emphasizes lack of bodily substance more generally
bodiless
vsunbodied
1 8.1

Not having a physical form, like a spirit or ghost

focuses specifically on being incorporeal rather than just lacking a body
noncorporeal
vsunbodied
1 9.8

Without a physical body or shape

is the same sense but expressed with a broader, less technical tone
bodyless
vsunbodied
1 8.2

Not having any physical shape you can touch, like a voice or shadow

concentrates more narrowly on lacking any bodily substance rather than parts
unembodied
vsunbodied
9.9

Not having a physical body, like a ghost

frames that existence with the single word meaning of lacking bodily form
discorporate
vsunbodied
  • Literature
9.9

A being that has no physical body like a ghost

is similar but uses a simpler, more neutral way to say the same thing
unphysical
vsunbodied
9.1

About the mind or spirit rather than the body

is narrower, focusing only on literally having no physical body

Antonyms

corporeal
  • Formal
15 8.4

Relating to the physical body rather than the spirit

Surface Forms

unbodied positive

Morphology

unbodied = bodied (transparent) = un + body + ed

Formed by prefixing 'un-' to 'bodied' (body + -ed); meaning 'not having a body' follows regular negation and is easily predictable by learners.

Etymology

The word unbodied is made from the prefix un- meaning 'not', as in unhappy, and body meaning 'physical form', so it literally means 'not having a body'. That's why unbodied describes something without a physical or material form.