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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of brute
Jennifer Boulanger, New York Daily News, 28 June 2025
Instead of overpowering her adversaries with brute strength, Eve is taught to get creative and utilize whatever is around her— including ice skates, pots and pans — as weapons to defend herself.
—Jan Wagner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 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
However, kindness possesses its own power, exerting a force more enduring than brute strength.
—Jennifer Boulanger, New York Daily News, 28 June 2025
Instead of overpowering her adversaries with brute strength, Eve is taught to get creative and utilize whatever is around her— including ice skates, pots and pans — as weapons to defend herself.
—Jan Wagner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 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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The mini tubs are portable, mess-free, and endlessly useful, especially on long flights where dry cabin air can be brutal.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
11 July 2025
-
Read more: 49ers Reveal Significant Injury Update on Brandon Aiyuk Ahead of his first season as the Vikings' starter, McCarthy has been hit with a brutal prediction.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Access has never been restricted to the feral cats.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
11 July 2025
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Meanwhile, feral cats decimated native bird populations and preyed heavily on the Socorro blue lizard.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
Noun
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Bats are the leading cause of rabies transmission to humans in the U.S. Louisville health officials are encouraging residents to use caution and diligence around wild animals after a bat found in the Okolona neighborhood tested positive for rabies.—
Marina Johnson,
The Courier-Journal,
11 July 2025
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The Cleveland Clinic advises people to minimize their risk of plague by avoiding flea bites and exercising caution around animals that could be infected with the bacteria.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
Serial killers with a code, far-future space operas, superheroes doing battle with dastardly villains.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
-
But just to use an example, Force Awakens sets up Snoke as the big villain of the new trilogy, with a mysterious backstory.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
12 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
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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
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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
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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
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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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When Sinner got an early break in the fourth with another monster backhand, there was an inevitability about the outcome.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brute. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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