1
as in brutal
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
brute attacks on innocent civilians
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in feral
having or showing the nature and appetites of a lower animal
a man of brute instinct, he deals with conflict the only way he knows how—by physical force
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in animal
one of the lower animals as distinguished from human beings
it is a fundamental sense of right and wrong that separates us from the brutes
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
leave him alone, you brute!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples 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 brute
Avery Pennarun, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
But college football has changed to a game of speed and skill rather than a game of brute force.
—Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Dec. 2024
Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 17 Nov. 2024
When searching for reprieve, there’s sanctuary in a movie musical that looks like a Broadway smash, a Colosseum full of vintage brutes, a Harry Styles simile.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for brute 
Adjective
Add to this the rise of cloud computing, where vast compute power is available on-demand, and the sheer brute force of modern GPUs and CPUs.
—Avery Pennarun, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
But college football has changed to a game of speed and skill rather than a game of brute force.
—Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
Others claim that the brute was named either for a popular near beer or for a Sunday comic strip about monkeys.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 17 Nov. 2024
When searching for reprieve, there’s sanctuary in a movie musical that looks like a Broadway smash, a Colosseum full of vintage brutes, a Harry Styles simile.
—Raven Smith, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for brute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brute
Adjective
-
After decades of conflict with Beijing over discrimination and suppression of their cultural identity, the Chinese government launched a brutal crackdown on the Uyghurs that some Western governments deem a genocide.Dake Kang and Huizhong Wu, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
-
The elites got out of positions quickly, while retail investors were left twiddling their thumbs and absorbing brutal losses.Trent Hoerr, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
That feral state certainly translates to the screen.Erik Kain, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
-
Pigs are known to attack humans, but fatalities tend to be caused by feral animals, such as wild boars, rather than domestic livestock.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Dogs are incredibly intuitive animals that can sense feelings and pick up on what is happening around them.Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 12 Jan. 2025
-
There are far more other animals around than people.Marge Piercy, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Also tossed in are picturesque but gratuitous use of famous tourist landmarks as background, near-superheroic training montages, credible intimate character dynamics, a ruthless villain (Johan Heldenbergh as Vanaken) and action that in the home stretch goes absurdly over-the-top.Dennis Harvey, Variety, 13 Jan. 2025
-
And though Young and (especially) the perpetrators of the massacre are clearly the villains of the piece, their past history at least partly explains their choices.Keith Phipps, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
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
Adjective
-
Collier is a brutish guard who has had some Earl Campbell-esque bully-ball drives to the cup and can move his feet on defense.John Hollinger, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
-
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
Noun
-
Unique creatures, odd animals and new species are discovered across the planet.Stories by Real-Time news team, with AI summarization, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
-
By leveraging cutting-edge genetic engineering technologies, Colossal aims to restore these creatures to their rightful place in the ecosystem, potentially mitigating the devastating effects of biodiversity loss.Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Set in a new location with new monsters, Wilds introduces a new type of mount, new monsters, an improved wound system, focus mode, and a new tool called the hook slinger.David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025
-
Are we meant to sympathize with this creature as people scream in terror and call it a monster and attack it and scream for it to be shot?Erik Kain, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near brute
Cite this Entry
“Brute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brute. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share