brute 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbrüt How to pronounce brute (audio)
Definition of brutenext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

brute

2 of 2

noun

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

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2
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person leave him alone, you brute!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 brute
Adjective
The original 1960s cars had legendary status dominating the Monte Carlo Rally, outmaneuvering heavier machinery across icy mountain passes with lightweight agility rather than brute off-road hardware. — New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026 Its style is terse, cool, and detached, presenting warfare as primarily a problem of calculation rather than brute force or individual courage. — Ethan Teekah, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
Even the consumer-level codes that encrypt your online banking are so hard to break that every computer on the planet working together would need longer than the age of the universe to brute-force them apart. — David M. Ewalt, Scientific American, 19 May 2026 Oscillating between a bumbling brute and an ironic ignoramus, Marvel Studios sees the God of Thunder more like the God of Blunder, kicking out the knees of the steady 2011 film in favour of single-digit IQ humour. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 6 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for brute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brute
  1. brutal
  2. feral
  3. animal
  4. villain
  5. savage
  6. brutish
  7. creature
  8. monster
Adjective
  • This version, though, is brutal, his voice acerbic and his guitar serrated.
    — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 7 Nov. 2026
  • And through eight games this season, those two words have defined the majority of the third-year wing’s experience on the court for the Chicago Bulls, who are 1-7 after a brutal trio of road losses in the last week.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of brutal
Adjective
  • That cute little feral furball was mean as hell and bit, scratched, and ultimately abandoned the family.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • In the most recent film, human beings become feral primitives in a classic role reversal.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of feral
Noun
  • Officials said a child may have come into contact with that animal.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Under the cover of night, Orwell’s pigs paint new words onto the side of the barn where the rules governing all the animals are listed.
    — Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of animal
Noun
  • Horowitz then brought up Skarsgard’s longtime interest in playing a villain in the James Bond franchise.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Much psychological research has focussed on the degradation of villains, but a symmetrical force works to elevate victims.
    — Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of villain
Adjective
  • Reducing Gulliver’s Travels to only a topsy-turvy tale of humans both tiny and massive is to ignore the savage intellect that penned its words.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
  • In ancient, supposedly more savage times, public killings were common.
    — Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of savage
Adjective
  • Greengrass surrounds Garfield with actors who deliver bigger performances, like Jarvis as the brutish but shrewd Tyler, and Bell as the fervent Ball.
    — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Anna, the film suggests, admires her husband warts and all, perhaps because there’s an enticing authenticity in all his inadequacies and brutish ways.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of brutish
Noun
  • As temperatures drop in fall, outdoor creatures like mice are frequently drawn towards the warmth and comfort of our homes.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The Magic 9, the successor to the Magic 8 Pro, looks like a triple-eyed, moss-green robo-creature designed to blend in with an overgrown, post-apocalyptic wasteland.
    — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of creature
Noun
  • The monster romance is as old as Pasiphaë tricking the white bull into bedding her, but a spate of recent offerings, across film and literature, especially, have come to form something less like a genre and more like a drug.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The potential start of a monster buyback program in December is a promising catalyst.
    — Alexa LoMonaco,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of monster

Browse Nearby Words

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brute
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Cite this Entry

“Brute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brute. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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