1
: resembling, befitting, or typical of a brute or beast
brutish strength
brutish violence
But its skull is curiously brutish, with thickened braincase walls, massive browridges, and evidence of powerful neck muscles. All in all, H. erectus fits the familiar stereotype of the … caveman.—
Matt Cartmill
Matt Cartmill2
a
: strongly and grossly sensual
brutish gluttony
He thinks he is a poetic amorist; he is a brutish sensualist.—Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann
b
: showing little intelligence or sensibility
a brutish lack of understanding
Life without enlightenment is nasty and brutish, yet it is the natural condition …—Frank Kermode
Frank Kermode
brutishly
adverb
brutishness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of brutish in a Sentence
She is married to a brutish, drunken slob.
as the months of recurrent combat dragged on, the daily existence of the soldiers became increasingly brutish
Recent Examples on the Web
Study challenges view of Neanderthals as brutish, stupid.
—Naomi Nix, Washington Post, 30 June 2024
The research is at odds with the image of Neanderthals, ancient human relatives who went extinct around 40,000 years ago, as brutish cavemen.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 27 June 2024
Both the right and the left believe that because the justice system is imperfect and occasionally stumbles, resort to rule by AK-47s should follow in which life is poor, brutish, nasty, and short.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 23 June 2024
Damianos’s brutish condescension and bizarre exclamations upstages the Captain’s reserved frustration.
—Terry Nguyen, Vulture, 5 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for brutish 
Naomi Nix, Washington Post, 30 June 2024
The research is at odds with the image of Neanderthals, ancient human relatives who went extinct around 40,000 years ago, as brutish cavemen.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 27 June 2024
Both the right and the left believe that because the justice system is imperfect and occasionally stumbles, resort to rule by AK-47s should follow in which life is poor, brutish, nasty, and short.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 23 June 2024
Damianos’s brutish condescension and bizarre exclamations upstages the Captain’s reserved frustration.
—Terry Nguyen, Vulture, 5 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for brutish
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brutish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near brutish
Cite this Entry
“Brutish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brutish. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brutish
adjective
brut·ish
ˈbrüt-ish 
1
: resembling, befitting, or typical of a brute or beast
lived a hard and brutish life
2
b
: showing little intelligence or sense
brutish lack of understanding
brutishly
adverb
brutishness
noun
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