Definition of bestialnext

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective bestial differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of bestial are brutal, brutish, and feral. While all these words mean "characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct," bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

In what contexts can brutal take the place of bestial?

The words brutal and bestial can be used in similar contexts, but brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity.

a senseless and brutal war

When is it sensible to use brutish instead of bestial?

While the synonyms brutish and bestial are close in meaning, brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

When can feral be used instead of bestial?

While in some cases nearly identical to bestial, feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals.

the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bestial
Adjective
  • As the team explains, their solution isn’t about brute-force simulating everything, but rather focusing on what actually matters.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 21 Mar. 2026
  • What’s needed are memory systems that are smart, fast, and compact — architectures that can scale alongside model growth without requiring brute-force resource consumption.
    Sha Rabii, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Auer, as Betty, offers a fleet, brutal portrait of a mother moving through grief, weepily passing from denial to acceptance.
    Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
  • That’s more than a third of the opening games breaking in favor of the lower-seeded team — a brutal stretch for anyone trying to build a flawless bracket.
    Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The sequel throws the bride, Grace, played with feral ferocity by Samara Weaving into another, even more twisted game.
    Jada Yuan, Vulture, 14 Mar. 2026
  • There’s wind and possible thunderstorms Thursday, more breeze Friday and showers possible Sunday — though not yet the kind of feral gusts that shredded last year’s Saturday leaderboard.
    Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Buc-ee's is arguing that the animalistic logo is too similar to the buck-toothed beaver donning a red baseball cap inside of a bright yellow circle.
    Faith Bugenhagen, Austin American Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Buc-ee's argues, in court documents, that the animalistic logo is too similar to its own – a toothy beaver wearing a red ballcap inside a bright yellow circle.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 25 Feb. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bestial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bestial. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.

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