as in brutality
the manifestation of the traits or the gratification of the appetites of a lower animal
in his portrayal the actor emphasizes the working-class hunk's fundamental animality
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Recent Examples of animality
This strangeness causes all sorts of internal agitation, an uneasiness about humanity’s closeness to animality.
—
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
But also, something more intrinsic — something like her animality.
—Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
The other characters are getting animalities, as well: Peacemaker gets the eagle, Omni-Man the Hail Mary kaiju from Invincible, and Johnny Cage becomes a shark.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 23 Sep. 2024
Meg combined elements of Christie Monteiro, with Bryans Snakeskin Pants (both from Tekken), while dancing in a DDR setting similarly to Ulala from Space Channel 5, fatalities and animalities from MK, with nods to old school games from the Sega Genesis era.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 10 May 2024
Kafka’s fiction is full of animals who resemble people and people who lapse into animality.
—Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2023
The study ventures into the intricacies of scientific and quasi-scientific debates in the 19th century, and treats 19th century science as embedded in a myth featuring divinity, humanity and animality as principal characters.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2012
Haushofer’s inhabiting of animality is remarkably tender and selfless.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022
In the short pas de deux of the savages, which came as the finale of the Revue Nègre, there was a wild splendor and magnificent animality.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2022
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
But also, something more intrinsic — something like her animality.
—Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
The other characters are getting animalities, as well: Peacemaker gets the eagle, Omni-Man the Hail Mary kaiju from Invincible, and Johnny Cage becomes a shark.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 23 Sep. 2024
Meg combined elements of Christie Monteiro, with Bryans Snakeskin Pants (both from Tekken), while dancing in a DDR setting similarly to Ulala from Space Channel 5, fatalities and animalities from MK, with nods to old school games from the Sega Genesis era.
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 10 May 2024
Kafka’s fiction is full of animals who resemble people and people who lapse into animality.
—Becca Rothfeld, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2023
The study ventures into the intricacies of scientific and quasi-scientific debates in the 19th century, and treats 19th century science as embedded in a myth featuring divinity, humanity and animality as principal characters.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2012
Haushofer’s inhabiting of animality is remarkably tender and selfless.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022
In the short pas de deux of the savages, which came as the finale of the Revue Nègre, there was a wild splendor and magnificent animality.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for animality
Noun
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But hopefully his brutality would be even more intense because of his kindness.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Apr. 2025
-
The speed, brutality, and clandestine manner in which these children were deported is beyond unconscionable, and every official responsible for it should be held accountable.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Hope is something that Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri can related to, having explored the dualities of hope and despair (as well as lightness and darkness, and fluidity and animalism) in her spring 2023 collection.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
WWD,
22 Jan. 2025
-
All of a sudden, that animalism has been incarnated.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2024
Noun
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There’s a great line: Honesty without compassion equals cruelty.—
Jayson Jenks,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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In each of these films, cruelty commingles with tenderness, and hideous acts take place against backdrops of often stunning natural beauty.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Animality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/animality. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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