1
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
brute attacks on innocent civilians
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in feral
having or showing the nature and appetites of a lower animal
a man of brute instinct, he deals with conflict the only way he knows how—by physical force
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in animal
one of the lower animals as distinguished from human beings
it is a fundamental sense of right and wrong that separates us from the brutes
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
leave him alone, you brute!
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brute
Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Wilson, one-of-one league-wide for his ability to mix brute force and high-end skill, single-handedly changed the result of a playoff game.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Maliki is a divisive brute whom Iran supports to the hilt.
—Dov Friedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2014
See All Example Sentences for brute
Adjective
With brute force attacks now happily using GPU power to drive the guessing of password combos and load password-stealing malware, and AI increasingly helping such threats to evolve, years turn into minutes, minutes into seconds, and defences start to look quite weak in many cases.
—Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Wilson, one-of-one league-wide for his ability to mix brute force and high-end skill, single-handedly changed the result of a playoff game.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
Smith has been on the outer of the Australian team in the T20 format, his weakest format where his lack of power can get exposed in a game dotted by muscular brutes.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Maliki is a divisive brute whom Iran supports to the hilt.
—Dov Friedman, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2014
See All Example Sentences for brute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brute
Adjective
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When local Officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she’s left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
12 May 2025
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Bruno Silva via first-round KO This finish was absolutely brutal.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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It is estimated that there are currently between 60 and 100 million stray and feral cats across America, and most of them live their life in the streets without ever even making it to an animal shelter.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
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The digital nomad stereotype persists: feral twenty-somethings earning $2,000 monthly in Thailand.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Noun
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Why Reinforcement Learning Matters Now The core idea behind reinforcement learning is for a system to learn in the same manner that people and animals learn—by taking actions and adjusting through trial-and-error.—
Cam Linke,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
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Fungi transform materials that plants and animals otherwise wouldn’t be able to use to their benefit.—
Lauren Oster,
Smithsonian Magazine,
12 May 2025
Noun
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The filmmaker released a 15-second preview of the trailer, featuring footage of a battle between Superman and a mechanized villain named the Hammer of Boravia.—
Michileen Martin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
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Frey was the Game of Thrones villain who orchestrated that show’s infamous Red Wedding, a premeditated and highly violent attack on a large group of people that took place during a wedding reception.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
13 May 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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Some are pretty, some are brutish, but all of them represent a slice of time and technology that contribute to their intrigue.—
Christian Gilbertsen,
Robb Report,
27 Mar. 2025
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In a rare moment of vulnerability, Xan then gives voice to the deep well of shame and self-hate that bubbles beneath his and his brother’s brutish veneer.—
Bartolomeo Sala,
The Dial,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Danielle Dufault/Royal Ontario Museum Paleontologists have discovered a three-eyed creature with a pencil sharpener-like mouth that roamed the sea for prey more than 500 million years ago.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
17 May 2025
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They are set upon by one of Eudoxia’s five sons and his warband of mutant creatures – half-man, half-animal abominations created by the former Empress as part of her many diabolical experiments.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
Noun
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Dark Universe is where monsters from Universal’s classic horror films – like Frankenstein, Dracula and the Invisible Man – live on in the village of Darkmoor.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
16 May 2025
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Another one of Universal’s monsters features prominently in the Curse of the Werewolf spinning coaster.—
Patrick Connolly,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brute. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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