as in brute
having or showing the nature and appetites of a lower animal
left to shift for himself on an isolated farm, he gradually sank into a beastly, purposeless existence
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extremely
to a great degree
it's beastly hot today
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of beastly
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 June 2025
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CNN —
Legends of young heroes fighting lions to the death appear in Roman records and artwork, but scant physical evidence of these beastly battles exists.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
Louis J. Esterhazy, WWD, 20 Feb. 2025
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic—Getty Images Now 50 and a dad of four, Williams appears to view the only industry he’s ever known as both beautiful and beastly.
—Olivia-Anne Cleary, TIME, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beastly
Adjective
An American Werewolf in London' (1981) American dudes backpacking in England get attacked by a werewolf, one of them becomes a beastly nuisance on the full moon, and things get bloody freaky in old London Town.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 14 June 2025
To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.
CNN —
Legends of young heroes fighting lions to the death appear in Roman records and artwork, but scant physical evidence of these beastly battles exists.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
Adverb
Here’s the idea: Carve out some beastly, cramped space inside the kitchen where, in days gone by, customers were prohibited.
—Louis J. Esterhazy, WWD, 20 Feb. 2025
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic—Getty Images Now 50 and a dad of four, Williams appears to view the only industry he’s ever known as both beautiful and beastly.
—Olivia-Anne Cleary, TIME, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beastly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beastly
Adjective
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These experiments came after a deep-learning model sifted through possibilities to find high-probability candidates, a definitive transformation from brute-force searches typically favored in the past.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Oct. 2025
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But recent history suggests that its mission would have less to do with proffering aid than with complementing the Kremlin’s liberal use of brute force.—
Tetiana Kotelnykova,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Almeida is extremely likely to have wrestling success early in this fight, and the question becomes whether Volkov can survive and extend the matchup.—
Brett Appley,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Last offseason, the Red Sox were extremely active, trading for ace pitcher Garrett Crochet and signing All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman.—
Shaun McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Simulations take place between October and March in brutal winter conditions, when the Gobi freezes solid.—
Rosanna Philpott,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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This early modern period would set the foundations of the rise of the transatlantic slave trade and a new form of slavery—hereditary racial slavery—that would be central to the creation of the racial-caste hierarchy and to the rise of Britain’s wealthy and brutal Caribbean slave empire.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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The hunter was supposed to be Nweeia’s main guide, and this happened on the very first day of the expedition.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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There are very few people with any substance who want to run.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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There are currently between 60 and 100 million stray and feral cats roaming the streets in the United States, and most shelters are constantly at full capacity.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
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The Florida park is home to a healthy population of feral, non-native rhesus macaques.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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The market isn't terribly deep for that need this winter.—
Tim Crowley,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
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This was natural mummification, a possible if not terribly likely occurrence in the dry cool February climate of Santa Fe, in this case in the confines of a private modern house.—
Joy Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Arguably the best thing about this season (other than every time Sage shows up on my TV screen) is how incredibly personal Savannah takes everything.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Oct. 2025
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The country is incredibly violent.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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And, perhaps most importantly, to quit worrying so damn much.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
23 Oct. 2025
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Well, his lower body looks damn good to start.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beastly. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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