brute

1 of 2

adjective

1
: of or relating to beasts
the ways of the brute world
2
: inanimate sense 1a
a brute object
3
: characteristic of an animal in quality, action, or instinct: such as
a
: cruel, savage
brute violence
b
: not working by reason
brute instinct
4
: purely physical
brute strength
brute force
5
: unrelievedly harsh
brute facts
brute necessity

brute

2 of 2

noun

1
: beast
2
: one who lacks intelligence, sensitivity, or compassion : a brutal person

Examples of brute in a Sentence

Adjective They used brute force to open the door. the brute fact of getting old Noun Let go of me, you brute! it is a fundamental sense of right and wrong that separates us from the brutes
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Adjective
As Apple’s paper and others suggest, the current approach to LLMs has significant limitations that cannot be overcome by brute force. Vivek Wadhwa, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2024 What’s needed to achieve this in the US is brute lobbying power. Jan Dutkiewicz, Vox, 8 Aug. 2024
Noun
The Penguin's Falcone is every bit the misogynistic brute, but his actions are relegated to the off-screen imagination by being implied, rather than shown. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 24 Oct. 2024 The part originally played by Timothy Olyphant has been taken over by Adam Driver—a specialist in magnetic brutes—whose recent movie roles have tended to be titular titans of industry and/or guys with accents. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for brute 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English brut "like an animal, not human," borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Latin brūtus "heavy, inert, devoid of intelligence or feeling, brutish," going back to Indo-European *gwr̥h2-u-to-, derivative of a base *gwerh2-u- "heavy" — more at grave entry 2

Note: Latin brūtus, with b- representing Indo-European *gw-, is taken to be a loan from another Italic language, presumably Oscan. The literal sense "heavy" was largely lost, though compare brūtum pondus "dead weight" in Lucretius, and the grammarian Festus's comment that "the ancients said brutus for gravis ['heavy']" ("brutum antiqui gravem dicebant").

Noun

derivative of brute entry 1, perhaps after Medieval Latin brūtum "brute animal"

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of brute was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near brute

Cite this Entry

“Brute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brute. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

brute

1 of 2 adjective
1
: of or relating to beasts
2
: typical of beasts : like that of a beast
brute force
brute strength

brute

2 of 2 noun
1
2
: a brutal person

More from Merriam-Webster on brute

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