BUTCHERLY Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

butcherly

adjective

ˈbu̇-chər-lē

Definition of butcherly

as in brutal

having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others Genghis Khan and his butcherly horde even massacred the livestock of the villages they overran

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for butcherly

Adjective

Horror films and increasingly brutal crime stories reveal the very large market for the subject.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
McKinley stages a few bullet-sweating sequences of peril, including a particularly brutal transport of gold bars across a crumbling rope bridge and an underwater accident exacerbated by floating logs.

— Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of brutal

Adjective

Bronwyn’s mother, Muzzy, who was lambasted all of last season for being cold and arguably cruel to her daughter, is notably softer in her first scene back — though the bob is as cunty as ever.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026
He was convicted of four counts of war crimes including murder, torture, cruel treatment and arbitrary detention.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

His Lamb goes from a brash Yorkshire showman to a callous profiteer of human vice and misery, his cheeky smile becoming a vicious snarl.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
The strikes were often most vicious in the far north of Yemen, a rebel stronghold and the region where the Houthi movement had been founded, in the nineteen-nineties.

— Kareem Fahim, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Hamilton lets down Claire’s savage hauteur; Mays’ eyes glisten with all the regrets of lost love.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
The savage purge since June of high-momentum stocks – dominated by AI hardware and related industrials – has sapped the bullish aggression of traders, helping to reset tactical sentiment toward a more neutral level.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of savage

Adjective

Within hours, their yacht vanishes, Matt is abducted by a gang of ruthless pirates led by Langbore (Copley), and paradise becomes a trap.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Arsenal created more than enough to help themselves to a bunch of goals in Naples, only to get stuck in anti-ruthless mode.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of ruthless

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butchering

butcherly

butchers

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“Butcherly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butcherly. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of butcherly

adjective

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