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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective brutal differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of brutal are bestial, brutish, and feral. While all these words 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

When would bestial be a good substitute for brutal?

The words bestial and brutal are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

In what contexts can brutish take the place of brutal?

The words brutish and brutal can be used in similar contexts, but brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

When is feral a more appropriate choice than brutal?

Although the words feral and brutal have much in common, feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals.

the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

Examples of brutal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The intoxicating high of passion quickly descends into a brutal chaos that can only end one way. Brendan Le, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024 Those who survived the brutal voyages ended up toiling on plantations in inhumane conditions in the Americas, while others profited from their labor. James Redmayne, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 The benchmark index is also on track to post back-to-back annual gains above 20% for the first time since 1997, helping Americans’ retirement accounts recover from 2022’s brutal losses. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 25 Oct. 2024 While the Lions suffered a brutal blow when star pass rusher Aidian Hutchinson suffered a brutally broken tibia, this team is surging and will be extremely difficult for the Vikings to contain. Steve Silverman, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for brutal 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brutal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Thesaurus Entries Near brutal

Cite this Entry

“Brutal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutal. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on brutal

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