feral 1 of 2

Definition of feralnext

feral

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective feral differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of feral are bestial, brutal, and brutish. While all these words mean "characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct," feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals.

the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

In what contexts can bestial take the place of feral?

While the synonyms bestial and feral are close in meaning, bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

When would brutal be a good substitute for feral?

Although the words brutal and feral have much in common, brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity.

a senseless and brutal war

When is brutish a more appropriate choice than feral?

The meanings of brutish and feral largely overlap; however, brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

How does the adjective feral differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of feral are bestial, brutal, and brutish. While all these words mean "characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct," feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals.

the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

In what contexts can bestial take the place of feral?

While the synonyms bestial and feral are close in meaning, bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

When would brutal be a good substitute for feral?

Although the words brutal and feral have much in common, brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity.

a senseless and brutal war

When is brutish a more appropriate choice than feral?

The meanings of brutish and feral largely overlap; however, brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of feral
Adjective
Instead, Kahan occupies a funny spot in the pop-music cosmos—music for people who own too much performance fleece to embrace the bombast of Taylor Swift but aren’t quite feral enough for the cacophony of Geese. Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 They got involved trapping the colony of feral cats living behind the strip mall the vet office was located in. Amanda Rosa april 9, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026 No faction is more divided than the British, however, with benign diplomat Thomas Hopkins (Billy Howle) at odds with the almost feral Army captain Orde Wingate (Aramayo), reputed father of the modern IDF. Damon Wise, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026 Walls left to bend and bleach, the front lot overgrown with weeds where now the feral bees must love to swarm, rattling the tickseed, buzzing in the bluestem grass, building sticky hives behind the rotting boards. Nina C. Peláez, The Atlantic, 22 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for feral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feral
Adjective
  • The Grammy-winner's catalog is woven into the narrative with surprising elegance that serves the story on emotional beats, and give these familiar tunes a wild new dimension.
    Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Lawson Crouse scored for Utah, which holds the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference with a three-point lead on the Los Angeles Kings, who have a game in hand.
    ABC News, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • The brute fact is that any weapon that’s ever been created in human history has been used.
    James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Just take the time to prep properly, dial in the right settings and let technique do the work instead of brute force.
    Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The tests did show, though, that the animals did not receive adequate care at the property.
    Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
  • The bill also allowed pharmacists to provide ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug often prescribed for animals, over-the-counter to adults without a prescription.
    Ana Goñi-Lessan, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • This experience prioritizes the animals’ wellbeing by focusing on increasing the population, collecting data, and working with experts who have success in re-wilding.
    Jack Tydeman, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Seventy percent of tomatoes consumed in the United States come from Mexico, where the weather was also brutal, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).
    Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026
  • For Asmae El Moudir in The Mother of All Lies, that meant using miniatures to coax out details of her family’s experiences during Morocco’s brutal Years of Lead.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Abby’s Magical Beasties, where one of the beasties goes missing, and Abby must problem-solve.
    Sarah Scott, Parents, 3 Nov. 2025
  • In a horrific twist, Kasumi (Kana Hanazawa) wakes up way too early — and thus has to battle the ferocious beasties to survive.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The famed African American journalist investigated lynchings across the South and wrote about the savage incidents that the white press had already explained away.
    Case Thorp, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026
  • The loss of books is minor, almost trivial, in light of all the horrors and violence unleashed by this senseless war, but the potential loss of these books is a sad reminder that we’re all affected and implicated in America’s savage flailings.
    James Folta, Literary Hub, 17 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Buc-ee's is arguing that the animalistic logo is too similar to the buck-toothed beaver donning a red baseball cap inside of a bright yellow circle.
    Faith Bugenhagen, Austin American Statesman, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Buc-ee's argues, in court documents, that the animalistic logo is too similar to its own – a toothy beaver wearing a red ballcap inside a bright yellow circle.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 25 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Feral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feral. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.

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