Synonyms of bestial

bestial

adjective

ˈbes-chəl 

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

• brute
• brutal
• feral
• animalistic
• brutish
• subhuman
• animal
• savage
• beastly
• cruel
• vicious
• physical
• sensual
• swinish
• ferine
• carnal
• corporeal
• barbarous
• coarse
• corporal
• sadistic
• rude
• barbaric
• bodily
• crass
• vulgar
• inhumane
• heartless
• fleshly
• gross
• uncouth
• crude
• uncultured
• wanton
• unrefined
• uncultivated
• ill-bred
• lowbred

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• great
• noble
• sublime
• high
• chivalrous
• spiritual
• lofty
• gallant
• magnanimous
• elevated
• angelic
• lordly
• benevolent
• kind
• high-minded
• compassionate
• beneficent
• angelical
• greathearted
• kindly
• benignant
• polished
• genteel
• refined
• cultured
• cultivated
• kindhearted
• good-hearted
• tenderhearted
• softhearted
• well-bred

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective bestial differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of bestial are brutal, brutish, and feral. While all these words mean "characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct," bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

In what contexts can brutal take the place of bestial?

The words brutal and bestial can be used in similar contexts, but brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity.

a senseless and brutal war

When is it sensible to use brutish instead of bestial?

While the synonyms brutish and bestial are close in meaning, brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

When can feral be used instead of bestial?

While in some cases nearly identical to bestial, feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals.

the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bestial

Movies tend to anthropomorphize their dogs by projecting recognizably human qualities onto them, but Bob Peterson and Pete Docter’s script embraces the less bestial parts of being an animal. —Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2024

The bestial prelude to love comes in many (weird, wild, even mildly horrifying) forms. —Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024

The Beast taps into man’s bestial nature, inviting visitors through Jack the Ripper’s London, the Werewolf Forest and a maze in a medieval castle that defies visitors to find a way out. —Robert Trussell, Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2024

Rodin’s Crouching Woman, paired in the exhibit with Claudel’s later work of the same name, is locked in an unlikely, bestial position. —Farah Peterson, The Atlantic, 14 Dec. 2023