brute

adjective

\ ˈbrüt

How to pronounce brute (audio)

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Definition of brute

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : of or relating to beasts the ways of the brute world

2 : inanimate sense 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

brute

noun

Definition of brute (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : beast

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

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Examples of brute in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Its aspect in the sky may change; the brute fact of there being 73 thousand trillion tonnes of rock orbiting at a distance of some 380,000km does not. — The Economist, "Empty sky, empty Earth?," 5 July 2018 But the other view, where the brute fact of kinship is what matters, has some odd features, too. — New York Times, "What Do I Owe My Sociopathic Sibling?," 2 July 2018 The researcher also reported that anyone who gained access could make changes to customer accounts, and that customer PINs could be brute-forced. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Security researchers found vulnerabilities at AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint that could have exposed customer data," 25 Aug. 2018 His career was a sublime manifestation of the essence of football: hitting the other guy with the most brute force that a human being can muster. — Larry Stone, The Seattle Times, "Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor’s departure elicits feelings of admiration, guilt," 3 July 2018 Controlling cancer requires thoughtful manipulation to direct cellular evolutionary trajectories, not brute force. — James Degregori, STAT, "Using the principles of evolution to treat and prevent cancer," 27 June 2018 Ireland, who's able to slough off years from her character's age by simply turning her head, reveals all that has been lost over time in a portrait that connects history with psychology and fate with brute economic facts. — Charles Mcnulty, latimes.com, "'Ironbound' at the Geffen Playhouse: An immigrant's portrait, painted with piercing realism," 9 Feb. 2018 In 2014, several researchers showed how WPA2 protocols could be breached using deauthentication and brute force attacks. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "New Wi-Fi Security Standards Will Protect Against Bad Passwords," 11 Jan. 2018 But in the past two years, Mr. Assad—backed by Russia and Iran—has retaken control of nearly the entire country, often using brute force that has drawn widespread international criticism. — Nazih Osseiran, WSJ, "Thaw Warms Ties Between Gulf States and Syria," 27 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

There’s a brute male character, as expected, but also a female character that looks nothing like a princess. — Erica Garza, Time, "The Problem With Watching Porn and Playing Video Games—For Girls," 27 Mar. 2018 Among their many shortcomings, PNRs are vulnerable to the kind of brute-force attacks that Rotem used to harvest El Al's passenger database. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "A Hacker Exposed the Ancient Flaw That Makes Airlines So Hackable," 17 Jan. 2019 Plus, an earlier flashback shows Jack’s dad telling him that his one job is to protect his little brother, Nicky (which, ironically, leads Jack to defend his brother from his brute of a father). — Candice Frederick, Harper's BAZAAR, "This Is Us Season 3 Episode 4 Finally Introduces Jack's Brother Nicky," 17 Oct. 2018 Lafite has always been a wine prized more for its finesse than its brute strength. — Jay Mcinerney, Town & Country, "A New Era Begins at Château Lafite as Baron de Rothschild Hands Leadership Over to His Daughter," 13 Aug. 2018 The system analyzed the patterns in the passwords and could narrow down likely ones much faster than the brute-force method. — Adam Janofsky, WSJ, "AI Could Make Cyberattacks More Dangerous, Harder to Detect," 13 Nov. 2018 Another congressional candidate running in Alabama, Tabitha Isner, alerted the FBI to a brute-force entry attempt, an inelegant but sometimes effective attack that runs thousands of password combinations to access a network. — Benjamin Wofford, Vox, "The midterms are already hacked. You just don’t know it yet.," 25 Oct. 2018 This automated system is supposed to watch out for brute-force entry attempts to your PC, botnet attacks, and threats to your sensitive information. — Ian Paul, PCWorld, "Bitdefender Total Security 2019 review: This AV suite builds a better autopilot," 13 Sep. 2018 The International Game Fish Association’s all tackle world record bluegill is a 4-pound 12-ounce brute — a heavyweight mark that has stood 68 years. — Gary Garth, USA TODAY, "Easy to find and fun to catch, bluegill are America’s fish," 25 May 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.

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Time Traveler for brute

The first known use of brute was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for brute

brute

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of brute

(Entry 1 of 2)

: very strong or forceful

: very harsh

brute

noun

English Language Learners Definition of brute (Entry 2 of 2)

: a cruel, rough, or violent man

See the full definition for brute in the English Language Learners Dictionary

brute

adjective

\ ˈbrüt

\

Kids Definition of brute

(Entry 1 of 2)

: typical of beasts : like that of a beast We used brute force to open the door.

brute

noun

Kids Definition of brute (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a four-footed animal especially when wild

2 : a cruel or rough person

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