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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective brutal differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of brutal are bestial, brutish, and feral. While all these words mean "characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct," brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity.

a senseless and brutal war

When would bestial be a good substitute for brutal?

The words bestial and brutal are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

In what contexts can brutish take the place of brutal?

The words brutish and brutal can be used in similar contexts, but brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

When is feral a more appropriate choice than brutal?

Although the words feral and brutal have much in common, 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 brutal With six games remaining in the regular season — and five of them coming in a brutal seven-day span — the Knicks are suddenly getting healthy at a time when workload management becomes a daily dilemma. Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2025 What followed was a shocking turn of events, as Cena, fresh from winning the Men's Elimination Chamber and securing a WrestleMania title shot against Rhodes, betrayed his long-standing heroic persona and launched a brutal attack on Rhodes. Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025 Another 10,000 will be laid off in a brutal restructuring, bringing the total HHS workforce from 82,000 to 62,000. Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 2025 And often times that can yield lead to some brutal consequences. Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for brutal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutal
Adjective
  • Fancy Homi Body Lumbar $20 Amazon Corduroy is an excellent way to soften otherwise rigid-looking furniture with too many harsh lines.
    Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 14 Mar. 2025
  • For their part, MTV maintained that the show was meant to show other teenagers the harsh realities of becoming a teen parent.
    Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Everybody else has no choice, really, other than to bring a cruel, narcissistic far-right leader to power.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Jokes that didn’t land with the squad The kids in Bad Influence say the pranks were the most cruel.
    Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Beyond that, Hamas’ only recourse to staying in power is brute force.
    TIME, TIME, 23 Mar. 2025
  • Rather than raids and brute force, the Trump administration must work with Congress on immigration reforms that benefit all Americans.
    Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • After some tough matchups in the Trader Joe’s Elite Sweets Tournament, one classic emerged as the champion.
    Lauren Thomann, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2025
  • On others, such as birthright citizenship, the Administration has a tougher path to victory.
    Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Softened by pride, Amber slinks away herself, albeit much more cutely than Gregory and accompanied by a vicious side-eye.
    Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2025
  • The Kansas City Glory’s season opener was set to begin on Saturday afternoon, but viral sensation Elena Easley was sitting on the field, experiencing a vicious headache.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The two are later reunited in the forest, where Jonathan helps open Snow White’s eyes to the plight of ordinary people under oppressive rule.
    Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Cryptocurrency mixers can be essential tools for individuals who value privacy, including those living under oppressive regimes, journalists, whistleblowers, and businesses that require confidentiality in their transactions.
    Becca Bratcher, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.
    Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2022
  • The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
  • Stir-frying is a method of quickly searing and cooking bite-size pieces of protein and vegetables in a splash of oil over high heat.
    Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Theron’s performance as the one-armed warrior Furiosa is one for the ages—stoic, searing and unbearably emotional beneath the surface.
    Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Brutal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutal. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.

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