butcherly

adjective

ˈbu̇-chər-lē How to pronounce butcherly (audio)
Definition of butcherlynext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for butcherly
  1. brutal
  2. cruel
  3. vicious
  4. savage
  5. ruthless
Adjective
  • But for one more summer, there’s Wednesday night hockey in the suburbs, the tickets are cheap, the autographs are free, and the arena is air conditioned in the midst of a brutal heat wave.
    — Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 17 July 2026
  • Shop Cooling Summer Dresses at REI This summer has proven to be particularly brutal, with heat waves engulfing a massive portion of the country.
    — Tanya Sharma, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
Definition of brutal
Adjective
  • But in one of the cruelest ironies in rock history, Berry suffered a devastating car crash not far from the actual Dead Man’s Curve in Los Angeles on April 12, 1966.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 July 2026
  • In the face of climate change, such woo woo aphorisms seem ridiculous, naive, and cruel.
    — Josh Fox, IndieWire, 17 July 2026
Definition of cruel
Adjective
  • Yet falling behind on payments could result in a vicious cycle of debt, experts say.
    — Stephanie Dhue,Sharon Epperson, CNBC, 14 July 2026
  • As Earth warms, more permafrost melts, releasing even more methane and creating a vicious cycle.
    — Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 13 July 2026
Definition of vicious
Adjective
  • The Yellow Death has disfigured the population, and soldiers in white-and-red tunics serve the savage Duke of Tviot.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Josefowicz, in her decathlon of a performance, brought Ligeti’s savage discontinuities to the surface.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
Definition of savage
Adjective
  • Neill was magnetic as the ruthless CI Major Chester Campbell in Peaky Blinders—an antagonist and romantic rival of Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 15 July 2026
  • Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, who has a tournament-high five assists, were also kept quiet by the ruthless Spaniards.
    — Mark Hodge, NBC news, 15 July 2026
Definition of ruthless
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.

Browse Nearby Words

butchering
butcherly
butchers
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Cite this Entry

“Butcherly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/butcherly. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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