as in brute
having or showing the nature and appetites of a lower animal
an apocalyptic sci-fi classic in which a lone drifter fights to avoid the bestial existence lived by the mass of survivors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 bestial
Despite bestial brutality and life-limiting economic and social injustices made legal—some existing still—our foreparents clung fiercely to their humanity and envisioned ours.
—
Essence, 25 June 2025
Pent-up emotions, regrets, and bestial longings all burst forth in an expansive baritone whose confident quietism distinguishes him from other wispier alt-centric brooders like Daniel Caesar.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
Pain was also inflicted on the dog deliberately during these bestial acts.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
While her passion for her husband is tame, her screams for Dickinson’s character are bestial and overwhelming.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 7 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bestial
Essence, 25 June 2025
Pent-up emotions, regrets, and bestial longings all burst forth in an expansive baritone whose confident quietism distinguishes him from other wispier alt-centric brooders like Daniel Caesar.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
Pain was also inflicted on the dog deliberately during these bestial acts.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
While her passion for her husband is tame, her screams for Dickinson’s character are bestial and overwhelming.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 7 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for bestial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bestial
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
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
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
Adjective
-
Scary Farm visitors will enter the maze as military recruits arriving at the secret lab to be transformed into animalistic super soldiers using one of three methods — surgery, chemical treatments or genetic mutations.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
20 Aug. 2025
-
The key characters share in their alterity and summon the animalistic archetype of the stray, behaviorally and physiologically.—
Olivia Bennett,
Variety,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bestial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bestial. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share