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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

beastly

2 of 2

adverb

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
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
  • Members of the search-and-rescue team who helped save the friends say the area is extremely treacherous and potentially dangerous even in daylight and perfect conditions.
    — Charlie De Mar, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The Washington Capitals’ system is headlined by the highly creative Cole Hutson and the extremely competitive Ryan Leonard.
    — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 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
  • Seattle’s pipeline is incredibly healthy, anchored by a top defense prospect in Chase Reid and a highly skilled pivot in Jake O’Brien.
    — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The combination bristles feel amazing on my scalp (like the best head scratch ever) while also smoothing my incredibly frizzy hair.
    — Kiana Murden, Vogue, 17 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

Browse Nearby Words

beastliness
beastly
beasts
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Beastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beastly. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on beastly

Nglish: Translation of beastly for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of prowess

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All