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feral

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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

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
Noun
Later in episode 10, Peggy wants to invest her portion of her nest egg in a wild pig-hunting business in order to clear Redcorn’s farm of invasive feral hogs. Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025 The program provides free spay/neuter surgeries for free-roaming cats in areas throughout metro Phoenix that have large populations of feral cats. Dina Kaur, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2025 Plus, feral hogs are damn near everywhere throughout the South. M.d. Johnson, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2025 Some of the cattle roaming the marsh are rumored to be the feral descendants of herds emancipated two decades ago by Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall about five miles upriver. Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for feral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feral
Adjective
  • And best of all is the way its cocktail of growth factors, peptides, collagen amino acids, and wild yam extract comes together to bring baby cheeks–levels of plumpness to your skin.
    Sophia Panych, Allure, 16 Sep. 2025
  • That cost them a chance to truly challenge the Phillies in the division and thrust them into a dogfight for the NL’s last wild-card spot.
    Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • These models typically rely on simplification or brute-force computation, often at the cost of accuracy.
    Somnath Banerjee, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The new system avoids this brute-force approach.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Her efforts saved the animal’s life and landed her in her hometown newspaper, The Mountain Eagle, which was the first to write about the dramatic rescue and resuscitation.
    Michael Collins, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Broadbelt’s death shocked the community and reignited a countywide conversation about the dual problem of unleashed dogs and overcrowded animal shelters.
    Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
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
  • Take the quiz here … KICKED TO THE CURB – Super Bowl hero cut from 49ers roster after brutal Week 1 performance.
    , FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • While released, Horton committed another horrific crime – a brutal home invasion and rape.
    Briah Lumpkins, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • My favorite Maginot menagerie beastie remains the multi-eyed crawling eyeball, who in this episode takes up residence within the eye socket of a Prodigy lab goat.
    Noel Murray, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2025
  • Most of the remaining beasties now live on remote islands near the equator, and most humans would conveniently like to forget them.
    Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 30 June 2025
Adjective
  • This thrilling prequel stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa and Alyla Browne as young Furiosa, who is abducted by the savage warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) — leader of the Biker Horde — and spends the next decade in captivity plotting her revenge and escape.
    Charlotte Walsh, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
  • There was a time when loving someone of the wrong gender could result in harassment, arrest or a savage beating.
    Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Scary Farm visitors will enter the maze as military recruits arriving at the secret lab to be transformed into animalistic super soldiers using one of three methods — surgery, chemical treatments or genetic mutations.
    Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The key characters share in their alterity and summon the animalistic archetype of the stray, behaviorally and physiologically.
    Olivia Bennett, Variety, 12 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Feral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feral. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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