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

Within a span of four months in Fort Worth last year, Watkins and Snellings were killed in similarly brutal attacks in the Near Southside and Historic Southside sections of the city.

— Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
Even so, when investor confidence broke in 1997, the adjustment was swift and brutal.

— MICHAEL PETTIS, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of brutal

Adjective

Detectives charged him with murder, manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon for the vicious attack that killed his mother, 57-year-old Josefa Soto de Guzman, on Friday.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 26 Aug. 2026
Pace, skill, a vicious shot, the ability to make opposition defenders look like fools.

— James Horncastle, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of vicious

Adjective

Cole, who has to maneuver his way around 20 savage crew members, each of whom will need to be killed, doesn’t waste a homicidal movement.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
The savage battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa had already demonstrated the ferocity with which Japanese forces would defend their homeland.

— James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of savage

Adjective

Once the ruthless commander of Bosnian Serb forces, Mladic oversaw the siege of Sarajevo, mass killings and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre that left more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys dead.

— Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter, like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

— Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 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 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of butcherly

adjective

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