brute

adjective \ ˈbrüt \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of brute

1 : of or relating to beasts

the ways of the brute world

2 : inanimate 1a

a brute object

3 : characteristic of an animal in quality, action, or instinct: such as

a : cruel, savage

brute violence

b : not working by reason

brute instinct

4 : purely physical

brute strength

brute force

5 : unrelievedly harsh

brute facts

brute necessity

See brute defined for English-language learners

See brute defined for kids

Examples of brute in a Sentence

They used brute force to open the door.
the brute fact of getting old

Recent Examples of brute from the Web

Adams accomplishes this less with brute force than great timing.

— rob mahoney, SI.com, "Alternative NBA Awards: Inside-Basketball Honors to Highlight Underrated Facets of the Game," 10 Apr. 2018
Use brute force — cutting through the container with an oxyacetylene torch, say — as a last resort.

— malia wollan, New York Times, "How to Crack a Safe," 4 Apr. 2018
Another is that what most people call AI is in reality machine learning, using the brute force of big data to perform tasks.

— marc champion, Bloomberg.com, "What Facebook’s Data Scandal Really Means for Regulators," 2 Apr. 2018
The government's victory is in large part the result of brute force and a choking five-year siege, but more sophisticated tactics have also played an important role.

— chicagotribune.com, "Assad's divide-and-conquer strategy is working," 28 Mar. 2018
The Longhorns tout a big, physical lineup, so brute force will be how Texas advances.

— usa today sports, USA TODAY, "2018 March Madness schedule: Friday's NCAA tournament times, TV guide, info," 16 Mar. 2018
This is possible today through brute force—first, submit all the commands to draw the left eye to the GPU, then submit all the commands for the right eye.

— peter bright, Ars Technica, "Vulkan 1.1 out today with multi-GPU support, better DirectX compatibility," 7 Mar. 2018
Walsh combines brute force and a can't-miss element of joy in his technique.

— david lindquist, Indianapolis Star, "5 reasons the Eagles may have already played the year’s best concert," 13 Mar. 2018
Aesthetic considerations are largely secondary to brute strength, but, when viewed up close, the walls collectively have the undeniable majesty of minimalist sculpture.

— michael walker, New York Times, "Is Donald Trump, Wall-Builder-in-Chief, a Conceptual Artist?," 3 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brute.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of brute

Middle English, from Middle French brut rough, from Latin brutus brutish, literally, heavy; akin to Latin gravis heavy — more at grieve

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

brute Synonyms

Phrases

red in tooth and claw;

brute

noun

Definition of brute

1 : beast

2 : one who lacks intelligence, sensitivity, or compassion : a brutal person

See brute defined for English-language learners

Examples of brute in a Sentence

Let go of me, you brute!
it is a fundamental sense of right and wrong that separates us from the brutes

Recent Examples of brute from the Web

In the early 1900s, paleontologists incorrectly viewed long-necked dinosaurs as lumbering brutes confined to swamps, their heavy bodies buoyed by water.

— steve brusatte, National Geographic, "Huge Dinosaur Footprints Discovered on Scottish Coast," 2 Apr. 2018
Still, compared with the brute-force tactics used by police and soldiers in prior civil disturbances elsewhere in the country, the law-enforcement response to Washington’s rioting had been tame.

— paul duggan, Washington Post, "After bloodshed in earlier U.S. riots, D.C. police showed restraint in 1968 unrest," 26 Mar. 2018
Regardless of the approach, Cellebrite's method almost certainly is dependent on a brute-force attack to discover the PIN.

— sean gallagher, Ars Technica, "Cellebrite can unlock any iPhone (for some values of “any”)," 1 Mar. 2018
What is more, the brute-force application of big data, impressive though some of its achievements have been in recent years, is not the only way to get smarter algorithms.

— The Economist, "The challenger," 15 Mar. 2018
The music has the same brute force as an alley brawl, but Steen brought a loner’s conviction to lyrics that rage and inspire.

— greg kot, chicagotribune.com, "SXSW and the rush of the new: Shame, Bat Fangs, Sudan Archives," 15 Mar. 2018
Others rely more on brute intimidation, which does not necessarily carry the day.

— david barash, WSJ, "‘The New Chimpanzee’ Review: Mysteries of the Chimpanzees," 9 Mar. 2018
Fails to generate consistent movement at the point of attack, showing a lack of either brute strength or desire to get nasty and push the pile.

— scott patsko, cleveland.com, "Chukwuma Okorafor, Western Michigan OT: NFL Draft 2018 (video)," 5 Mar. 2018
Los Angeles is said to be looking to clear cap space to pursue big-name free agents in the next two offseasons, and the Pacers are in need of front court brute who could address two of their biggest needs: interior defense and rebounding.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Pacers at NBA trade deadline: Buy, sell or stand pat?," 5 Feb. 2018