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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extremely
to a great degree
it's beastly hot today
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2025
This would be a more monumental climb given the beastly nature of the Western Conference.
—Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 30 Jan. 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
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
This would be a more monumental climb given the beastly nature of the Western Conference.
—Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 30 Jan. 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
-
When Quantum Might Win The intuition machine demonstrates better performance than the logic engine in specific domains through its ability to restructure learning processes rather than using brute force methods.—
Sadhasivam Mohanadas,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Oddly, that wouldn't be a problem if fusion plants were already abundant because there'd be so much surplus power that brute force methods could be used to produce tritium.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
2 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
In extremely dense fog where visibility is near zero, the best course of action is to first turn on your hazard lights, then simply pull into a safe location such as a parking lot of a local business, and stop.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Lisa, 28, wore a black maxi dress with cutouts, and paired the look with an extremely rare Hermès Birkin while in South Korea's capital city.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Even for those in the North who didn’t care a damn for the four million held in brutal bondage, or those who wanted a soft, conciliatory approach, the war began to take on new and moral meaning.—
Jack Sheehan
September 4,
Literary Hub,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The trailer also showcases several brutal fights, an over-flowing oil emergency at the patch, a car accident, and Cami paying witness to two men taking down a third individual with their guns drawn.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
In her latest Jo + Tiny Mic series on Instagram, the Texas native shared four of her favorite secrets to instantly elevate a room, and the principles can be perfectly applied to your fall home decor using Gaines’ very own Magnolia collection at Target.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
-
In heated hearings over the past week, Republicans released very little information about the map’s impact on specific communities across the Kansas City area.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
There is something feral in the onrush of Marlowe’s verse, with the gleam of bared teeth daring us to laugh.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Some of the most notable included the iconic bell tower, the central fountain, the roaming pack of feral cats, and the massive gingko trees that loomed over a section of the academic quad and carpeted the sidewalks with golden leaves each fall.—
Katherine Polcari,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
But there’s also darkness in Cherry’s past, including an ex-boyfriend who has either terribly wronged her or been terribly wronged by her.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
-
And what if that fight didn’t go terribly well?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Because hot & sour soup is incredibly nuanced.—
Shindy Chen,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Sep. 2025
-
In her new YouTube video, Katelynn explained how grief and depression have made daily tasks incredibly difficult for her, and a recent change in routine has further increased her poor mental state.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
As a result, Green Bay just got glitzier — and America’s Team appears pretty damn far from Super.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
29 Aug. 2025
-
The Orange Is the New Black star helped launch EW's annual LGBTQ+ issue — and looked damn good doing it.—
Leah Greenblatt,
EW.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beastly. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share