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

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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
  • Even the herculean efforts to acquire capabilities for the conflict with Iran largely amounted to a collection of waivers, special actions, and brute-force leadership.
    — Doug Beck, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than continuing to work to legitimize her rule through support for the common people per Mysaria's counsel, Rhaenyra opted for the show of brute force Daemon has been all too eager to lead the charge on.
    — Megan McCluskey, Time, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of brute
Adverb
  • The balance between efficiency and pleasantness in doing business seems extremely hard to achieve.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Naegleria fowleri infections are extremely rare, with only 180 confirmed between 1937 and 2025, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
    — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of extremely
Adjective
  • The Braves have Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy atop their catching depth chart, but a brutal injury setback involving veteran backstop Sandy Leon has now forced the organization to seek out another experienced option.
    — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Micron, as well as South Korea's SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics — the world's three major DRAM producers — had competed largely on price, contributing to the brutal boom-and-bust cycles that have long characterized the industry.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of brutal
Adverb
  • Romanian officials have warned that the danger to border communities is very real.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026
  • California eventually adopted a very limited film tax credit plan in 2009, but even then production had already gone elsewhere.
    — Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of very
Adjective
  • In the 2018 Farm Bill, a major piece of legislation covering wide areas of agricultural policy, Congress agreed to spend $75 million to encourage private landowners to step up together to kill feral hogs.
    — Chris Boyer, Scientific American, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Susan Manning, president of Tri-County Wildlife Care, said feeding feral cats contributes to population growth.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of feral
Adverb
  • The five per cent is for if things go terribly wrong and Liverpool have no choice but to change.
    — Andy Jones, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Supporters of the bill say that type of restriction is terribly outdated.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of terribly
Adverb
  • Iran’s currency – the rial – is incredibly weak and dropped to a record low of two million against the US dollar yesterday.
    — Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of using the developed AI software to create the animation, the film is incredibly homespun.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of incredibly
Adverb
  • This sucker is super small and lightweight, clips on in a second, and feels damn close to the original inputs.
    — David Pierce, The Verge, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The reason the rent is too damn high is because Wall Street is counting on it.
    — Anisha Steephen, Time, 21 July 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 26 Aug. 2026.

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