1
a
: of or relating to beasts
grotesque combinations of human and bestial forms
b
: resembling a beast
a bestial shape
2
a
: lacking intelligence or reason
… the bestial man has no sense of right and wrong …—
J. E. Hankins
J. E. Hankins
b
: marked by base (see base entry 3 sense 1a) or inhuman instincts or desires : brutal
bestial violence
… a scene of bestial intoxication …—Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Synonyms
Examples of bestial in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It’s also built to meet Appendix K FIA regulations for competition, with a period-correct 5.3-liter V-8 that makes appropriately bestial noises.
—Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2022
Black Adam was never going to be the role in which Johnson reclaimed his bestial side.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2022
The sparseness of the fossil record has confounded attempts to understand the ways that prehistoric mammals gave birth and brought up their babies, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of our broader bestial family’s history.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Oct. 2022
Frank himself could easily be a habitué of an old Max Fleischer cartoon—a cousin to Bimbo the Dog, perhaps—with his rubbery black limbs, white gloves and shoes, and cute, bestial, species-nonspecific features.
—Sam Thielman, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2022
Some singers get up in front of audiences and attack sets with bestial ferocity before partying all night long, but that approach has an expiration date.
—Nathan Grayson, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2022
Our reduced olfactory apparatus was the detritus of a bestial and benighted past, and an allegory of our enlightenment.
—Scott Sayare, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021
On the Foo Fighters’ second album, The Colour and the Shape, Grohl ended up rerecording songs with his own bestial drumming in place of Goldsmith’s, and suddenly tracks that hadn’t been working sounded like instant modern-rock classics.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2021
The streaks provide proof of our mundane bestial reality—our hormones, our lunch, our particular whorls and spirals.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2021
See More
Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2022
Black Adam was never going to be the role in which Johnson reclaimed his bestial side.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2022
The sparseness of the fossil record has confounded attempts to understand the ways that prehistoric mammals gave birth and brought up their babies, leaving significant gaps in our understanding of our broader bestial family’s history.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Oct. 2022
Frank himself could easily be a habitué of an old Max Fleischer cartoon—a cousin to Bimbo the Dog, perhaps—with his rubbery black limbs, white gloves and shoes, and cute, bestial, species-nonspecific features.
—Sam Thielman, The New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2022
Some singers get up in front of audiences and attack sets with bestial ferocity before partying all night long, but that approach has an expiration date.
—Nathan Grayson, Washington Post, 9 Aug. 2022
Our reduced olfactory apparatus was the detritus of a bestial and benighted past, and an allegory of our enlightenment.
—Scott Sayare, Harper's Magazine, 23 Nov. 2021
On the Foo Fighters’ second album, The Colour and the Shape, Grohl ended up rerecording songs with his own bestial drumming in place of Goldsmith’s, and suddenly tracks that hadn’t been working sounded like instant modern-rock classics.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2021
The streaks provide proof of our mundane bestial reality—our hormones, our lunch, our particular whorls and spirals.
—Jia Tolentino, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bestial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin bestialis, from bestia beast
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of bestial was
in the 14th century
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Dictionary Entries Near bestial
Cite this Entry
“Bestial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bestial. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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