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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
Adjective
If Edwin hadn’t smelled the Ben-B-Q or heard the whoops of the feral Yellowjackets, then the two groups would have probably passed like ships in the night. Erin Qualey, Vulture, 21 Mar. 2025 According to the outlets, the 250-pound deceased pet was then entered into a feral pig hunting competition, in which the two men won $1,000 cash. Lesley Cosme Torres, People.com, 17 Apr. 2025 So, to our minds, this has been a very long, slow build towards Shauna as everything the Antler Queen represents, which is the most feral, the most animalistic, the most excited by that power that comes with being the leader and being out in the wilderness. Michaela Zee, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025 Unfortunately, Melissa also decides to grab the knife away from Shauna at this moment, causing Shauna to go feral. Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for feral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feral
Adjective
  • This ferocious, steep-banked corner possesses a wild 24% gradient, a nod to Spain’s bullfighting heritage.
    Kanzah Maktoum, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Niemann, a grandmaster, beat Carlsen in an upset in a 2022 match, leading Carlsen to withdraw from the tournament and setting off wild speculation about whether Niemann could have cheated, though no such allegations were ever proven.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • With brute force attacks now happily using GPU power to drive the guessing of password combos and load password-stealing malware, and AI increasingly helping such threats to evolve, years turn into minutes, minutes into seconds, and defences start to look quite weak in many cases.
    Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Wilson, one-of-one league-wide for his ability to mix brute force and high-end skill, single-handedly changed the result of a playoff game.
    Sean Gentille, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • However, China said in its paper that a past joint study conducted with the World Health Organization (WHO) found that COVID-19 was most likely transmitted from bats to humans via another animal.
    Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2025
  • Plants and pollinators can get out of sync Plants and their pollinators face another problem as the rate of climate change increases: Many plants rely on insects and other animals for seed and pollen dispersal.
    Courtney McGinnis, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • This high school student completed a brutal swim across New Zealand's 13.67-mile Cook Strait 02:16 CNN — Maya Merhige eventually stopped counting her jellyfish stings, such was the frequency with which they were getting scorched against her skin.
    George Ramsay, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Domestic overcapacity and brutal internal competition have already pushed Chinese firms to expand abroad in search of profit margins.
    Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 29 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Set in a fictional, secluded land of mountains and lakes, Ochi follows a plucky teen named Yuri (played by Helena Zengel), who’s been raised by her father to fear and hunt the reclusive little beasties called ochi.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2025
  • From hummingbirds and butterflies to spiders and even lowly beetles, all those wee beasties are part of an intricate web that makes up an ecosystem.
    Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 11 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2022
  • As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.
    Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2022
Noun
  • This is a show that has always seemed most comfortable in the murk, down to a stony conspiracy-thriller aesthetic that feels half a galaxy removed from the shiny lightsabers and cuddly critters that have defined so much of this franchise.
    Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2025
  • The critters can even have an Easter scavenger hunt — yes, there are eggs included.
    Toni Sutton, People.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In the mountains of Papua New Guinea, researchers encountered a clownish creature perched on a log in a fern meadow, basking in the sun.
    Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2025
  • There are no Jedis, no secrets about Darth Vader's past for Reddit sleuths to hunt down, no adorable creatures to slap on backpacks and lunchboxes.
    Eliana Dockterman, Time, 22 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Feral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feral. Accessed 6 May. 2025.

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