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 Baron announced his intentions to take over the new world, and when one woman tried to ask him a question, Laszlo’s brutish monster smashed her skull to bloody bits. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 2 Dec. 2024

That’s, the spice-rich planet where the brutish and cruel Harkonnens previously ruled and are threatening to take control once again. —Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 29 Feb. 2024

In the universe of Tina Fey, life in high school is nasty, brutish, and endlessly cyclical. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 12 Jan. 2024

Most people used to experience lives that were nasty, brutish, and short. —Kishore Mahbubani, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2016

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