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
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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
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To our clients, a sweep is a show of brute force, rather than an invitation to come inside.—
Deborah Berkman,
New York Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
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Eventually, the fighting commenced with a flurry of slapping, pushing, and grasping; sumo can look like brawling or ballet, a display of brute force or a mastery of martial-arts techniques that share their origins with judo and aikido.—
Joshua Hunt,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Two boys, ages 12 and 13, were charged by a grand jury this week as adults in the brutal rape of a 12-year-old girl in the garden area of a Miami apartment complex over the summer.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2026
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Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo, and SZA have all condemned the use of their music in propaganda videos tied to the government’s brutal immigration crackdown.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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More than 1,300 chickens were caught through the program last year, said Honolulu Department of Customer Services spokesperson Harold Nedd, who added the department also saw a 51% increase in complaints about feral chickens in 2025.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
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Last week, the friction spiked in Miami-Dade when Regalado introduced legislation to create a $100 fine for people feeding feral cats, dogs and peacocks on public or commercial property.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The characters live in a world of mud, rain, wind, and animalistic yearning, reflecting the bugs and birds and rabbits and dogs and livestock that surround them.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
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Bergholm employs some very effective sound design here, giving just a hint of animalistic growling to the kid’s lusty cries.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bestial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bestial. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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