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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Recent Examples of Synonyms for butcherly

Adjective

And such attacks are not merely tactics of war, but the brutal intersection of the logic of war and the logic of climate vulnerability.

— Sarah Yerkes, Time, 10 July 2026
That film culminated in the brutal defeat of House Atreides by rival House Harkonnen, with Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), fleeing to the desert and taking refuge among the Fremen.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

Definition of brutal

Adjective

The heat has become so unbearable in Japan that weather officials in April announced a new term for days when maximum temperatures exceed 104 degrees — kokushobi, meaning harsh or cruel heat, according to the Japan Times.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
For thousands of Venezuelans, however, the lack of definitive answers has become one of the tragedy’s cruelest consequences.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026

Definition of cruel

Adjective

The early Cold War liberals had read their history books and seen how the French Revolution had begun with high progressive hopes but descended into a vicious bloodbath.

— David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
After a similarly vicious storm struck the New York area late Friday, hundreds of thousands of utility customers were left without power, trains to New Jersey were canceled and thousands of trees were damaged or uprooted.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Communism’s pure economic theory is now rarely practiced anywhere — even if ruthless leaders in hybrid capitalist economies like China and Russia have retained the authoritarian iron fists of their predecessors.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
Otherwise, Kail sticks closely to the template established for him, recreating every scene and sequence from the first movie with ruthless fidelity and adding essentially no departures of any significance.

— Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 8 July 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 14 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of butcherly

adjective

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