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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
  • The romance genre is extremely popular on the publishing side with massive engaged fan bases, and buyers on the film and TV side recognize the potential for that to translate to the screen.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Earthquakes and bradyseisms are very rare; the continents move extremely slowly.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of extremely
Adjective
  • Horror films and increasingly brutal crime stories reveal the very large market for the subject.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • McKinley stages a few bullet-sweating sequences of peril, including a particularly brutal transport of gold bars across a crumbling rope bridge and an underwater accident exacerbated by floating logs.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of brutal
Adverb
  • Those who arrived in the 1900s had very different cultural, political, and religious backgrounds from the older Texas Jews.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • These salts can withstand very high temperatures before boiling.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of very
Adjective
  • 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
  • While there is no state law that prohibits feeding feral cats, there is also no law authorizing it.
    — Michael L. Hyman, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of feral
Adverb
  • 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
  • This is not at all to suggest Tove Lo has become terribly sensible, though.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of terribly
Adverb
  • Moments after an incredibly warm greeting, Quinn shoveled coal into the flames and stuck an iron in the forge.
    — Sarah Wood González, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Teach them that an answer can sound incredibly confident and still be wrong.
    — Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 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

Browse Nearby Words

beastliness
beastly
beasts
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Cite this Entry

“Beastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beastly. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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