brutish

adjective

brut·ish | \ ˈbrü-tish

Definition of brutish

1 : resembling, befitting, or typical of a brute or beast brutish strength brutish violence But its skull is curiously brutish, with thickened braincase walls, massive browridges, and evidence of powerful neck muscles. All in all, H. erectus fits the familiar stereotype of the … caveman.— Matt Cartmill

2a : strongly and grossly sensual brutish gluttony He thinks he is a poetic amorist; he is a brutish sensualist.— Stanley Kauffmann

b : showing little intelligence or sensibility a brutish lack of understanding Life without enlightenment is nasty and brutish, yet it is the natural condition …— Frank Kermode

Other Words from brutish Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More About brutish

Choose the Right Synonym for brutish

brutal, brutish, bestial, feral 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 brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct. brutish stupidity bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts. bestial depravity feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals. the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

Examples of brutish in a Sentence

She is married to a brutish, drunken slob. as the months of recurrent combat dragged on, the daily existence of the soldiers became increasingly brutish

Recent Examples on the Web And in the year 1975, the guy who could make audiences believe that the star athlete of that national past-time was someone who was brutish enough to thrive in the rink yet soulful enough to want out — that was Caan. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2022 Two brutish guards learn the hard way this princess isn’t waiting for a Prince Charming. — Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2022 Out front in the mid-size luxury SUV segment are performance models such as the exotic Lamborghini Urus and brutish Porsche Cayenne. — Nicholas Wallace, Car and Driver, 7 June 2022 The film tells the tale of Gelsomina, a young woman trapped in servitude to the brutish circus strongman Zampanò, who ends up killing the only light in her life — the Fool from the high wire — and plunging her into a fatal despair. — Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 3 June 2022 Courtney was the long time Cuyahoga county reporter covering all the before bowls of Norman brutish administration and the tragedies that happened at the jail. — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 11 May 2022 She is soon tormented by her brutish brother-in-law Stanley (played by Marlon Brando) and her cracks in her perception of reality begin to form. — Sophie Hanson, Harper's BAZAAR, 5 May 2022 To be sure, there are enough of these sorts of brutish battles going on in nature to make war-of-all-against-all theorist Thomas Hobbes smirk. — Lee Alan Dugatkin, Scientific American, 15 Apr. 2022 These men, between ages 18 and 65, have been yoked to the stereotypes of manhood: tough, stoic, brutish. — Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2022 See More

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