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
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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!
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brute
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2025
On that list, the 5-foot-8 infielder is sandwiched between two of the franchise’s symbols of brute strength and slugging in Thome and Albert Belle.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 3 July 2025
Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
By the end of the episode, the audience is eager to meet the antihero, the brute, that everyone is talking about.
—Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brute
Adjective
The truth is, most phones get compromised not by brute force, but by everyday tricks that prey on users' habits and software gaps.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2025
On that list, the 5-foot-8 infielder is sandwiched between two of the franchise’s symbols of brute strength and slugging in Thome and Albert Belle.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 3 July 2025
Noun
Then comes the arrival of General Zod and his two primary compatriots – a warrior woman and a silent hulking brute – who do battle with Superman around the city, causing much destruction and threatening the life of Lois Lane and her Daily Planet coworkers.
—Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
By the end of the episode, the audience is eager to meet the antihero, the brute, that everyone is talking about.
—Maelle Beauget-Uhl, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brute
Adjective
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According to an arrest affidavit obtained by USA Today, the 21-year-old approached a woman from behind at a self-checkout lane at a Walmart in Tennessee, and launched into a brutal attack.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
23 July 2025
-
After the brutal ascent of Ventoux, sprinters get their spotlight.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
In the past year, the department confirmed 25 rabid animals, including raccoons and feral cats.—
Vanessa Etienne,
People.com,
24 July 2025
-
How about spay, neuter and release, like folks do with feral cats?—
Daniella Walsh,
Oc Register,
21 July 2025
Noun
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Also visible will be metal rings attached to the walls, thought to have been used to tether animals brought down into the cave complex.—
Antonia Mortensen,
CNN Money,
23 July 2025
-
One way the department is minimizing conflict is by having range riders present for animals in open range.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
In 1994, Hogan joined WCW and reinvented himself as a villain, forming the New World Order (nWo) and ushering in a new era of edgy storytelling.—
Hannah Parry
Amanda Castro
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
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The film is currently filming in London with Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors behind the highest-grossing MCU movies ever, back behind the camera; Downey now playing the chief villain; and a slew of stars from the lost era of Fox's X-Men movies reprising their roles for the first time in years.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
24 July 2025
Adjective
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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
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Nor do today’s young men have their own Hemingway, Kerouac, or Bukowski, a generation-defining writer who captures the plight of men in all of its rugged beauty and brutish toxicity.—
John McDermott,
Rolling Stone,
6 July 2025
-
This confab was the latest brutish two-step in a decades-long political dance between the U.S. and El Salvador.—
Carolina A. Miranda,
The Atlantic,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
But then appeared on the road a living creature whose intent my driver could not understand: a cow.—
Shekar Natarajan,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
The series, which has yet to receive a title, will see Newfoundland play Newfoundland as the rugged and picturesque Atlantic ocean provides the backdrop for the hunt for a sea creature.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
The two-day family-friendly affair has a lineup of exciting events, including a chili cook-off and a monster lake plunge, plus the chance to try your hand at cross-country skiing, tubing, or snowmobiling at Beaver Creek Lodge in Garden City.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
13 July 2025
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The enormous bones and monster jaws, the ridged backs and barbed tails.—
Clare Sestanovich,
New Yorker,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brute. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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