1
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
brute attacks on innocent civilians
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in feral
having or showing the nature and appetites of a lower animal
a man of brute instinct, he deals with conflict the only way he knows how—by physical force
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in animal
one of the lower animals as distinguished from human beings
it is a fundamental sense of right and wrong that separates us from the brutes
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
leave him alone, you brute!
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brute
Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Dort will defend quicker guards like Mitchell but lives for the brute matchups.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Maliki is a divisive brute whom Iran supports to the hilt.
—Dov Friedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2014
See All Example Sentences for brute
Adjective
What To Know Most mainstream theories propose that the Egyptians used ramps and brute manpower as the primary methods for lifting the limestone blocks that make up the pyramids.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Dort will defend quicker guards like Mitchell but lives for the brute matchups.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Noun
Smith has been on the outer of the Australian team in the T20 format, his weakest format where his lack of power can get exposed in a game dotted by muscular brutes.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Maliki is a divisive brute whom Iran supports to the hilt.
—Dov Friedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2014
See All Example Sentences for brute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brute
Adjective
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This high school student completed a brutal swim across New Zealand's 13.67-mile Cook Strait 02:16 CNN — Maya Merhige eventually stopped counting her jellyfish stings, such was the frequency with which they were getting scorched against her skin.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
30 Apr. 2025
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Although understanding the difference between destructive and constructive feedback helps leaders communicate brutal truths without causing unnecessary harm, these examples highlight how easily criticism can become a personal attack.—
Topsie VandenBosch,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The three islands are home to more than 800 endemic plant and animal species, many of which are threatened by invasive mice, feral cats, and pigs.—
Troy Aidan Sambajon,
Christian Science Monitor,
28 Apr. 2025
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Mining, feral animals and shifting fire regimes continue to shape its future.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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However, China said in its paper that a past joint study conducted with the World Health Organization (WHO) found that COVID-19 was most likely transmitted from bats to humans via another animal.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2025
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Research into color’s effect on food has found that red is among the most appetizing colors, partly a result of our natural response as a human animal: Nature tells us when apples, berries, and pomegranates are their ripest and most nutritionally dense.—
Bedatri D. Choudhury,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Grizzlies were a gritty team by nature, and Brooks was indeed a villain.—
Kelly Iko,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
-
With its ability to grow through asphalt and structural material, survive up to 20 years in total darkness and uproot the foundation of homes, Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) could be the villain in a horror movie.—
Martha Proctor,
Mercury News,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
-
These institutions make our lives sweet, loving and creative, rather than nasty, brutish and short.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2025
-
Her battle with the disease was nasty, brutish, and prolonged.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Elsewhere in the film, the Irish vampire Remmick, pursued by Choctaw vampire hunters, tricks his way into the protection of a pair of Klan members living near Clarksdale and turns them into creatures of the night.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2025
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These footprints are more commonly found in coastal deposits, suggesting that these creatures waded through shallow waters to catch fish or scoop up floating prey, much like modern-day flamingos.—
Stephanie Edwards,
Discover Magazine,
1 May 2025
Noun
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Remmick is a monster, but his homeland was colonized by some of the same rapacious forces that brought the twins’ ancestors to America.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2025
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From being at arguably the most prestigious high school program to arguably the most historic college football program at Alabama to walking into the media and entertainment monster that is the Dallas Cowboys, Booker will have a leg up on anyone else walking onto a big stage for the first time.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brute. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
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