brute

adjective \ ˈbrüt \

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

This period may have felt rather uncomfortable for fiery Rams, who prefer making impulsive decisions and employing brute force whenever possible.

— aliza kelly faragher, Allure, "What This Week's Horoscope Means for You," 28 Aug. 2017
With brute force, and with a few key promotions of black and brown people who would help him, Rizzo maintained Philadelphia’s racial hierarchy.

— solomon jones, Philly.com, "Remove the Rizzo statue from public property," 22 Aug. 2017
A government’s legitimacy to rule is based not on brute force or free handouts.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Troubled Venezuela’s path to peace," 4 Aug. 2017
After attempting to use brute force, his methods turn psychological.

— john monaghan, Detroit Free Press, "Shakespeare Royal Oak lands real-life couple for 'Taming of the Shrew'," 27 July 2017
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When Chuck Jones joined the United Steel Workers, unions flexed their power to strike and crossing a picket line could be met with brute force.

— brian slodysko, The Seattle Times, "Retirement ‘bittersweet’ for union boss who challenged Trump," 2 July 2017
That scene sums up GLOW, which takes everything over-the-top about professional wrestling, pushes it to higher levels of absurdity and melodrama, and finds something deeply personal, explicitly political, and wonderfully brute-force awesome.

— darren franich, PEOPLE.com, "GLOW: Why the New Netflix Series Is Unlike ANY Show We've Ever Seen," 22 June 2017
There are a trillion dollars for public infrastructure — not some complex tax credit that favors revenue-generating projects in affluent areas, but the brute force of government dollars to build roads and bridges in every corner of the nation.

— neil irwin, New York Times, "Trump Is Offering Populism, Minus the Free Candy," 17 June 2017
Membership required decades of brute power, dozens of adjustments and a longevity nearly unmatched in modern sport.

— ryan kartje, Orange County Register, "Albert Pujols’ coronation to exclusive 600 club a rarity baseball won’t see again for years," 3 June 2017

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

See Words from the same year

brute Synonyms

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

The living lights emanated from tiny fish with needlelike fangs, and gelatinous brutes with thousands of feeding tentacles.

— author: william j. broad, Alaska Dispatch News, "The deep seas are alive with light," 23 Aug. 2017
Quail Hollow is a brute, a 7,600-yard track rimmed by penalizing rough and featuring 18 extremely firm greens.

— steve dimeglio, USA TODAY, "Kevin Kisner shoots 67 to lead PGA Championship at 8 under," 11 Aug. 2017
The Chelsea legend was notorious for his brute force and overwhelming physicality, a true target man who could lead the line, hold up play, and ultimately win games by himself with his incredible eye for goal.

— SI.com, "Why Jose Mourinho's Second 'Season Syndrome' Makes Man Utd Premier League Favourites in 2018," 29 July 2017
The white men, the decent ones as much as the brutes, have the answers, the power, the agency.

— a. o. scott, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Detroit,’ Black Lives Caught in a Prehistory of the Alt-Right," 26 July 2017
Freight trains weigh in at 440 million pounds, and combine the brute strength of their GE locomotive engines with computers and increasingly complex software, said Miller who spoke at Fortune Brainstorm Tech on Tuesday.

— barb darrow, Fortune, "How Modern Trains Are Like 440 Million-Pound Computers," 18 July 2017
The term made brutes out of people of color who were living through wave after waves of what were then the deadliest drug epidemics in history.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "What The 'Crack Baby' Panic Reveals About The Opioid Epidemic," 16 July 2017
If Ariel represents supernatural forces that dwell up above, Caliban is a cave-dwelling brute who is part human and part whatever.

— mike giuliano, Howard County Times, "'The Tempest' is outdoors but hopefully not overhead," 23 June 2017
Republic FC: Caesar is a brute in rout of Rio Grande Valley FC Republic FC forward Trevin Caesar has three goals and an assist in a 6-2 win over the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros on Wednesday at Papa Murphy’s Park.

— sacbee, sacbee.com, "Sports Night: Cancer survivor set to run," 21 June 2017