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
Relevance
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!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Outside, 24 Feb. 2026
Over thousands of years of history, our propaganda has repeatedly sought to portray ourselves as the plucky underdogs, surviving against huge physical odds by marshaling our intelligence and native cunning against the brute forces of nature.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
Credit to producers Tim Zinnemann and George Linder for selecting a veritable array of brutes to wage battle with Arnold.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brute
Adjective
The uphill climb requires cardio capacity and brute strength.
—Outside, 24 Feb. 2026
Over thousands of years of history, our propaganda has repeatedly sought to portray ourselves as the plucky underdogs, surviving against huge physical odds by marshaling our intelligence and native cunning against the brute forces of nature.
—Literary Hub, 18 Feb. 2026
Noun
Robot relief begins Early customer deployments show that offloading humans from the brute-force, repetitive task of unloading trailers frees them to handle other bottlenecks.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
Credit to producers Tim Zinnemann and George Linder for selecting a veritable array of brutes to wage battle with Arnold.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brute
Adjective
-
Salesforce is the latest SaaS (software-as-a-service) company to step up buybacks following the brutal sell-off to start the year.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
13 Mar. 2026
-
According to a new national survey conducted by NBC News, AI is viewed even more negatively than the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the militarized agency that has been embroiled in major controversy over its brutal deportation program, including the fatal shooting of unarmed civilians.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
12 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Most everyone in attendance at 2220 seemed to be there to meet or support one of their favorite artists, one of the devout purists of our time who manages to remain that without getting smug, lazy or feral, all common pitfalls.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
And that’s before Hudson shows up and the audience goes feral.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Save Our Bacon Act would negate California’s Proposition 12 and forbid states from making laws regarding animal confinement, according to a Harvard analysis.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The Nankai Trough is one of Japan’s most geologically active deep-sea regions, but before this expedition, only 14 animal species were known to inhabit the area’s cold seeps.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With ‘live’ scenes from the ship’s top deck, Marvel villains had invaded the cruise and the screens showed our heroes in action, saving the day.—
Helen Wright,
TheWeek,
11 Mar. 2026
-
On one level, the Nazis here are stereotypical adventure story villains, yet specific actual Nazi atrocities are discussed and the suffering of French citizens is deeply felt.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
They were met with savage brutality, with as many as 30,000 murdered by their own government.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
3 Mar. 2026
-
But they were met with savage brutality, with as many as 30,000 souls murdered by their own government.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For Trump, nothing — not even peace — transcends his brutish transactionalism.—
Ezra Klein,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
But don’t dismiss Ausar as a one-dimensional, brutish player.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Ro Reddick’s Reagan-era caper-cum-bildungsroman, which had its premiere at last year’s Summerworks and recently took home the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, is a heightened, slippery creature.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
11 Mar. 2026
-
But Vanek also has people round their back into turtle pose, using humming breaths to connect with vibration-sensing creatures, and using the outstretched arms of some poses to greet new snake visitors.—
Deena Prichep,
NPR,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Bride not looking like a monster and retaining her desirability after reanimation is common, but only sometimes interrogated.—
Rory Doherty,
Time,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Whale, and later fellow directors Franc Rodman, Branagh and now Gyllenhaal, imagined what might have happened if Frankenstein had completed the female monster.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brute. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
