spiritual

UK: /ˈspɪrɪtʃuəl/ US: /ˈspɪrɪtʃuəl/ ,(spir′i cho̅o̅ əl)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

spir•it•u•al /ˈspɪrɪtʃuəl/   adj. 

1. of or relating to the spirit or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature
2. of or relating to the spirit as the source of one's moral or religious nature.
3. Religion of or relating to sacred things or matters; religious.
4. closely alike in interests, outlook, feeling, etc.:
   the composer's spiritual heir.
5. relating to spirits or to spiritualists;
   supernatural.

n. [countable]

6. Music and Dance a religious song that shows strong emotion, of a type originating among African-Americans in the southern U.S.

spir•it•u•al•i•ty /ˌspɪrɪtʃuˈælɪti/  n. [uncountable]
spir•it•u•al•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

spir•it•u•al  (spir′i cho̅o̅ əl), adj. 

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. Religion of or pertaining to the spirit as the seat of the moral or religious nature.
7. Religion of or pertaining to sacred things or matters;
   religious;
   devotional;
   sacred.
8. Religion of or belonging to the church;
   ecclesiastical:
   lords spiritual and temporal.
9. of or relating to the mind or intellect.

n. 

10. Music and Dance a spiritual or religious song:
    authentic folk spirituals.
11. Religion spirituals, affairs of the church.
12. a spiritual thing or matter.

• Medieval Latin spīrituālis, equivalent. to Latin spīritu- (stem of spīritus spirit) + -ālis -al¹
• Middle English 1275–1325

spir′it•u•al•ly, adv. 
spir′it•u•al•ness, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

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

2. (often plural) the sphere of religious, spiritual, or ecclesiastical matters, or such matters in themselves

ˈspiritually adverb