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
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2025
Not softly, but with brute force, with grit and toughness, heart to match his hands.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 29 Sep. 2025
Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Some are slow and heavy brutes that have tons of health while others are slightly but deal more damage.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brute
Adjective
The brute force of the $1 trillion-plus in infrastructure commitments over the next several years has been too much for the immediate skepticism about the unfunded promises and overlapping spender/vendor relationships to offset.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2025
Not softly, but with brute force, with grit and toughness, heart to match his hands.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
Power is sent to the rear wheels via six-speed manual or an optional 10-speed automatic (a $2,275 option), and with a little over 4,100 pounds to haul, this brute will click off a 0-60 mph run in just 3.4 seconds, and on to the quarter mile mark in 11.4.
—Peter Nelson, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Some are slow and heavy brutes that have tons of health while others are slightly but deal more damage.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brute
Adjective
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Simulations take place between October and March in brutal winter conditions, when the Gobi freezes solid.—
Rosanna Philpott,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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This early modern period would set the foundations of the rise of the transatlantic slave trade and a new form of slavery—hereditary racial slavery—that would be central to the creation of the racial-caste hierarchy and to the rise of Britain’s wealthy and brutal Caribbean slave empire.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The animals are difficult to survey, but experts estimate that the United States is now home to at least six million feral hogs, descendants of those early farm animals and Eurasian wild boars that arrived later.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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For example, in Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands, invasive species like rats and feral cats are considered one of the main causes of extinctions, including to the islands’ famous birds.—
Jessica Beaudette,
The Conversation,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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How did Indigenous people in North America interpret fossils of dinosaurs and other long-extinct animals?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
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His teachers corrected his posture and his hands; the angle of the arms and the way the wrist releases into the top of the drum, or drum head which usually is made from animal skin.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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She's been gone for over 20 years, and so to win this for a soap opera, playing a villain, is really wonderful.—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
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Not to mention Elm Street introduced a villain for the ages in Freddy Krueger, an instant icon played by Robert Englund, whose charisma was strong enough to shine through even the thickest makeup.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Rader’s double life as a doting father and savage murderer is the subject of the new Netflix documentary My Father, the BTK Killer, based on his daughter Kerri Rawson’s search to make sense of the secret double life her father hid from his family.—
Johnny Dodd,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
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The ensuing carnage was swift and savage.—
Paul Solotaroff,
Rolling Stone,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The deeper problem is that Gaza has become a Hobbesian free-for-all, where life is likely to be nasty, brutish, and short for the unfortunate residents caught in the crossfire.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
16 Oct. 2025
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Confirmed are the shapeshifting Mystique, the brutish Omega Red, at least one giant mutant-hunting Sentinel, and military organization the Reavers.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The creatures are scavengers feeding on the seafloor and plankton as well as algae and waste particles.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
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Then, once your stay is over, guests hop right back on that glacier ferry for one more magical ride back to real life, but not before all those arctic creatures come out to wave goodbye.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Many of the industry’s top outfits gain their reputations from leading monster deals or jockeying for board seats at Silicon Valley’s hottest startups.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
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Grossman also took a page out of Monster Jam, the touring monster truck show that her company also produces.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brute. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
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