as in brutality
the manifestation of the traits or the gratification of the appetites of a lower animal
a novel depicting the brutishness to which a group of schoolboys descend when they are stranded on a deserted island
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Recent Examples of brutishness
Likewise, young Waller proves a revelation, capable of communicating Danny’s vulnerability and brutishness on the turn of a dime.
—
Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutishness
brutality
Noun
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The relentless flow of appalling events eventually overloads the nervous system; the rising tide of brutality, which once seemed shocking, comes to seem unremarkable.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
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For Hasan as well, this round of unrest felt different, reflecting both the brutality of an increasingly paranoid regime and a new level of public anger and appetite for confrontation.—
Sarah Dean,
CNN Money,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brutishness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutishness. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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