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

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 bestial 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 It’s also built to meet Appendix K FIA regulations for competition, with a period-correct 5.3-liter V-8 that makes appropriately bestial noises. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2022 See all Example Sentences for bestial 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bestial
Adjective
  • For instance, an organization that has failed to book enough meetings or acquire enough quality leads with its human SDRs may consider using an AI SDR solution to succeed by brute force (e.g., flooding inboxes with tens of thousands of emails).
    Arjun Pillai, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Yasuke, a physically imposing samurai, is pure brute force, wielding an impossibly huge naginata and kanabō that literally take heads and limbs off with one powerful swing.
    Alyssa Mercante, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Related article Japan’s leader demands answers from China over schoolboy’s fatal stabbing The sentiment is rooted in bitter memories of Japan’s invasion and brutal occupation in the 1930s and 1940s and fueled by present-day territorial disputes.
    Chris Lau, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams endured a brutal season, getting sacked a league-high 68 times in 2024, much of which was attributed to Morgan's coaching.
    John Yoo and John Shu, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Elland Road regulars have to agree the stadium has rarely reached that feral, out-of-body, launch-yourself-four-rows state since relegation.
    Beren Cross, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Rosie, a feral cat his wife adopted and slowly coaxed into trusting her, was skittish and unfriendly, and rarely interacted with Mr. Escott.
    Kellen Browning, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near bestial

Cite this Entry

“Bestial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bestial. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!