as in brute
having or showing the nature and appetites of a lower animal
with animalistic fury the boxer tore into his opponent
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Recent Examples of animalistic
In Buc-ee's complaint, the chain argues that the animalistic logo is too similar to its own – a toothy beaver wearing a red ballcap inside a bright yellow circle.
—
Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 6 May 2026
The song’s almost animalistic sensuality is miles away from the safe choices Skye has made—or been asked to make—until now.
—Cameron Cook, Pitchfork, 22 Apr. 2026
There are nods to Linda Blair’s Regan in the sludgy projectile vomit that pours out of Katie, as well as the animalistic scampering, bodily contortions and levitation.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Buc-ee's is arguing that the animalistic logo is too similar to the buck-toothed beaver donning a red baseball cap inside of a bright yellow circle.
—Faith Bugenhagen, Austin American Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026
The characters live in a world of mud, rain, wind, and animalistic yearning, reflecting the bugs and birds and rabbits and dogs and livestock that surround them.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Bergholm employs some very effective sound design here, giving just a hint of animalistic growling to the kid’s lusty cries.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Venezuelan tonka bean absolute gets an edgier twist with palo santo and musk, while coconut powder balances the earthy and animalistic notes with a subtly fresh sweetness.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 14 Jan. 2026
One quality that distinguishes the very best chess players is killer instinct, an almost animalistic will to win.
—Jordan Himelfarb, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 6 May 2026
The song’s almost animalistic sensuality is miles away from the safe choices Skye has made—or been asked to make—until now.
—Cameron Cook, Pitchfork, 22 Apr. 2026
There are nods to Linda Blair’s Regan in the sludgy projectile vomit that pours out of Katie, as well as the animalistic scampering, bodily contortions and levitation.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Buc-ee's is arguing that the animalistic logo is too similar to the buck-toothed beaver donning a red baseball cap inside of a bright yellow circle.
—Faith Bugenhagen, Austin American Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026
The characters live in a world of mud, rain, wind, and animalistic yearning, reflecting the bugs and birds and rabbits and dogs and livestock that surround them.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2026
Bergholm employs some very effective sound design here, giving just a hint of animalistic growling to the kid’s lusty cries.
—Catherine Bray, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Venezuelan tonka bean absolute gets an edgier twist with palo santo and musk, while coconut powder balances the earthy and animalistic notes with a subtly fresh sweetness.
—Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 14 Jan. 2026
One quality that distinguishes the very best chess players is killer instinct, an almost animalistic will to win.
—Jordan Himelfarb, Time, 15 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for animalistic
Adjective
-
Hard rock mining Standard refining is a brute-force process.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
28 May 2026
-
The texture is smooth and medium-bodied, emphasizing balance rather than brute force.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Bichette is off to a brutal start, Francisco Lindor’s spring hamate injury may have affected his power even before his calf strain knocked him out for the last month, and Jorge Polanco has barely been on the field.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
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Hounded by a loud, impatient Eisenhower and faced with the very real evidence that a brutal trio of storms will make an early June invasion impossible, Stagg is torn between doing his duty and, well, doing his duty.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Publishers Coolabi Group and Chinese online giant Tencent Video have greenlit the series, adapted from Erin Hunter’s novels about battling clans of feral cats, which have sold more than 90 million copies worldwide.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
1 June 2026
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Look for Wildlife Throughout the park, bison lumber along the road and prairies, while feral horses flounce about the buttes.—
Julia Sayers Gokhale,
Midwest Living,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Those who believe Israelis and Jews capable of such an outrage might feel justified in wishing that such bestial monsters were wiped from the Earth—a shift from disgust to dehumanization to possible destruction that is well charted by social psychologists.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
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Neither one of these people appears to be enjoying themselves, but the woman soon begins to grunt with the bestial upset of a werewolf under a full moon.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Animalistic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/animalistic. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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