brutish

adjective

brut·​ish ˈbrü-tish How to pronounce brutish (audio)
1
: resembling, befitting, or typical of a brute or beast
brutish strength
brutish violence
But its skull is curiously brutish, with thickened braincase walls, massive browridges, and evidence of powerful neck muscles. All in all, H. erectus fits the familiar stereotype of the … caveman.Matt Cartmill
2
a
: strongly and grossly sensual
brutish gluttony
He thinks he is a poetic amorist; he is a brutish sensualist.Stanley Kauffmann
b
: showing little intelligence or sensibility
a brutish lack of understanding
Life without enlightenment is nasty and brutish, yet it is the natural condition …Frank Kermode
brutishly adverb
brutishness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for brutish

brutal, brutish, bestial, feral mean characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct.

brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity.

a senseless and brutal war

brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals.

the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

Examples of brutish in a Sentence

She is married to a brutish, drunken slob. as the months of recurrent combat dragged on, the daily existence of the soldiers became increasingly brutish
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Meursault also starts hanging out with his shady and brutish French neighbor, Raymond (Pierre Lottin), whose abusive relationship with an Algerian girl (Hajar Bouzaouit) eventually leads to the murder. Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2025 With trigger-warning culture on the wane and a brutish permissiveness creeping back into society, corporate scolds have lost much of their power. Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 2 Sep. 2025 Advertisement Maybe that makes Bugonia sound sort of fun—and the movie does contain some ridiculously over-the-top exploding-bodies gore—but Lanthimos goes out of his way to amp up the story’s ugly, brutish qualities. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 28 Aug. 2025 The pure of heart among you may recoil at the notion that anyone would sow brutish chaos, hurt vulnerable people and throw any semblance of democracy under the bus for a churlish, vicious distraction. Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 14 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for brutish

Word History

Etymology

probably from Medieval Latin brūtum brute entry 2 + -ish

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of brutish was in 1534

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Brutish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brutish. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

brutish

adjective
brut·​ish ˈbrüt-ish How to pronounce brutish (audio)
1
: resembling, befitting, or typical of a brute or beast
lived a hard and brutish life
2
b
: showing little intelligence or sense
brutish lack of understanding
brutishly adverb
brutishness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on brutish

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