as in brute
having or showing the nature and appetites of a lower animal
an apocalyptic sci-fi classic in which a lone drifter fights to avoid the bestial existence lived by the mass of survivors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 bestial
Channels the inner, bestial urges to release an unworldly howl that pushes back any nearby enemies.
—
Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
His nemesis in this series was a bestial Wakandan in a gorilla suit called Man-Ape.
—Ekow Eshun
july 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
Despite bestial brutality and life-limiting economic and social injustices made legal—some existing still—our foreparents clung fiercely to their humanity and envisioned ours.
—Essence, 25 June 2025
Pent-up emotions, regrets, and bestial longings all burst forth in an expansive baritone whose confident quietism distinguishes him from other wispier alt-centric brooders like Daniel Caesar.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bestial
Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Aug. 2025
His nemesis in this series was a bestial Wakandan in a gorilla suit called Man-Ape.
—Ekow Eshun
july 11, Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
Despite bestial brutality and life-limiting economic and social injustices made legal—some existing still—our foreparents clung fiercely to their humanity and envisioned ours.
—Essence, 25 June 2025
Pent-up emotions, regrets, and bestial longings all burst forth in an expansive baritone whose confident quietism distinguishes him from other wispier alt-centric brooders like Daniel Caesar.
—Will Dukes, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bestial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bestial
Adjective
-
Here, classic lemon bars call upon the brute strength of two whole lemons to embolden the custard with a Lemonhead-like flavor.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 May 2026
-
The first attempt was brute force.—
Jacek Krywko,
Scientific American,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In Oddity, Darcy (Carolyn Bracken) is driven entirely by grief over the brutal murder of her twin sister.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
Demand for EVs in China is slowing after the government trimmed consumer subsidies and perks, and there’s no end in sight to a brutal price war as a crowded field of EV rivals jostle to outperform and undercut one another.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
As Columbia, Rodriguez takes big, bold swings, shifting from manic exuberance to bruised vulnerability to feral anger over the course of the night.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The ordinance would create a city-run TNR program under which feral cats can be humanely trapped and surgically sterilized, then vaccinated and ear-tagged before being released back into the community.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The song’s almost animalistic sensuality is miles away from the safe choices Skye has made—or been asked to make—until now.—
Cameron Cook,
Pitchfork,
22 Apr. 2026
-
There are nods to Linda Blair’s Regan in the sludgy projectile vomit that pours out of Katie, as well as the animalistic scampering, bodily contortions and levitation.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bestial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bestial. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
