beastly 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbēst-lē How to pronounce beastly (audio)
Definition of beastlynext
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

beastly

2 of 2

adverb

as in extremely
to a great degree it's beastly hot today

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of beastly
Adjective
Three of this beastly bunch were checked off during our six spectacular hours in Tsavo. — David Dickstein, Oc Register, 18 Mar. 2026 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, 13 Feb. 2026
Adverb
Logan is super skilled, beastly strong. — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 24 Feb. 2026 In this tale as old as time, local bookworm Belle (Paige O'Hara) travels to a faraway castle where her father is being held captive by a prince–turned–beastly creature. — James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for beastly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beastly
  1. brute
  2. extremely
  3. brutal
  4. very
  5. feral
  6. terribly
  7. incredibly
  8. damn
Adjective
  • Its style is terse, cool, and detached, presenting warfare as primarily a problem of calculation rather than brute force or individual courage.
    — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Its evolution and that of the surrounding estate have been determined by border disputes between papal states and grand duchies, by World Wars, and, in the second half of the 20th century, by brute economics, industrialization, and urbanization.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of brute
Adverb
  • Poorer women were extremely vulnerable if they were judged to have sinned like this.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the research around how schools can use AI to help students — and avoid potential harms — is extremely limited, according to a recent Stanford University review of more than 800 academic papers.
    — Lee V. Gaines, NPR, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of extremely
Adjective
  • The Process There are plenty of valid fears that come with going gray and the long, often brutal grow-out process is just one of them.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Sep. 2026
  • New Yorkers are in for a brutal weekend filled with heavy rainfall and intense winds as a powerful early-season nor’easter threatens to wallop much of the East Coast.
    — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of brutal
Adverb
  • Here, a very dear, longtime local friend officiated the service with just a few attendees which included a blacktip reef shark and a colony of marine iguanas.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
  • My leadership is much more about providing a very clear direction and making sure that there’s a high degree of autonomy for people to feel empowered and enabled to do so.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of very
Adjective
  • Or maybe Pitt simply wanted to get his Jack London on, traipsing throughout gorgeous natural terrain and ruffling his co-star’s fur in between fending off feral wolves and navigating impromptu whitewater rafting trips sans the raft.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Then Leigh noticed a skinny guy clad in a ratty Daniel Johnston T-shirt, his hair a feral mess.
    — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of feral
Adverb
  • The wish, of course, goes terribly wrong, leading to bloody consequences for Bear, Nikki and their friends.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Fortunately, if no less terribly, there is more to the story, and many of the most compelling scenes have little or nothing to do with Michael.
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of terribly
Adverb
  • Magpies are opportunistic scavengers, incredibly cunning and deceitful and capable of calculated deception.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Spotting even one Bolide in the wild is incredibly rare; seeing a pack of them hurtling down the circuit’s main straight induces goose bumps.
    — Sean Evans, Robb Report, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of incredibly
Adverb
  • In fact, call it South Park or South America, the result was still damn good.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
  • This guy’s a good football player, damn good football player, massive, really strong with his hands.
    — Jon Machota, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of damn

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Cite this Entry

“Beastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beastly. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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