brutish

adjective

brut·​ish ˈbrü-tish 

1

: resembling, befitting, or typical of a brute or beast

brutish strength

brutish violence

But its skull is curiously brutish, with thickened braincase walls, massive browridges, and evidence of powerful neck muscles. All in all, H. erectus fits the familiar stereotype of the … caveman.

—Matt Cartmill

2

a

: strongly and grossly sensual

brutish gluttony

He thinks he is a poetic amorist; he is a brutish sensualist.

—Stanley Kauffmann

b

: showing little intelligence or sensibility

a brutish lack of understanding

Life without enlightenment is nasty and brutish, yet it is the natural condition …

—Frank Kermode

brutishly adverb

brutishness noun

Synonyms

• animalistic
• beastly
• bestial
• brutal
• brute
• feral
• ferine
• subhuman
• swinish

Choose the Right Synonym for brutish

brutal, brutish, bestial, feral mean characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct.

brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity.

a senseless and brutal war

brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals.

the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

Examples of brutish in a Sentence

She is married to a brutish, drunken slob.

as the months of recurrent combat dragged on, the daily existence of the soldiers became increasingly brutish

Recent Examples on the Web

The case involves a brutish boyfriend (Gabriel Basso, who played J.D. Vance in Hillbilly Elegy… but don’t hold that against him) accused of beating his girlfriend (Francesca Eastwood) to death. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2024

The long-haired blond and brutish god of symbiotes, Knull is locked away on an alien planet, and the bonding of Eddie and Venom is the literal key keeping him from escaping and unleashing a wave of annihilation. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024

Hamm’s action choreography meets the vast scope of his story, and even better, it’s complemented by a brutish and affecting ensemble of actors, including Goldshifteh Farahani, Rafe Spall and Jonah Hauer King. —Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024

Get Citation Request Reprint Permissions Just as one rotten apple can spoil a barrel, one brutish autocrat can spoil a political union. —R. Daniel Kelemen, Foreign Affairs, 20 Sep. 2015

Word History

Etymology

probably from Medieval Latin brūtum brute entry 2 + -ish

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

brutish

adjective

brut·​ish ˈbrüt-ish 

1

: resembling, befitting, or typical of a brute or beast

lived a hard and brutish life

2

a

: animal entry 2 sense 2

b

: showing little intelligence or sense

brutish lack of understanding

brutishly adverb

brutishness noun