1
as in animals
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
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2
as in villains
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
leave him alone, you brute!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutes
The psychology that Bryk wrote for these young men is the key as to why these brutes are more lovable than unbearable.
—
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Credit to producers Tim Zinnemann and George Linder for selecting a veritable array of brutes to wage battle with Arnold.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
An extermination of the brutes in the Middle East, presided over by Obama’s successors, has been followed by a swift cancellation by Trumpian decree of the postracial age.
—Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Some are slow and heavy brutes that have tons of health while others are slightly but deal more damage.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2025
Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026
Credit to producers Tim Zinnemann and George Linder for selecting a veritable array of brutes to wage battle with Arnold.
—Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 13 Nov. 2025
An extermination of the brutes in the Middle East, presided over by Obama’s successors, has been followed by a swift cancellation by Trumpian decree of the postracial age.
—Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Some are slow and heavy brutes that have tons of health while others are slightly but deal more damage.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutes
Noun
-
Scythia’s plants are its animals, and vice versa, blooming and breeding in alternate generations.—
Stephanie Burt,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Yet rats may be one of the most awe-worthy animals on the planet.—
Jason Bittel,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But CFCs, the solution to an earlier problem, turned out to be villains in disguise.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
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These measures are politically popular and ultra-wealthy Big Tech chiefs are easy villains.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Riverside County Department of Animal Services officials are seeking help from the public in locating a pair of dogs that were recently involved in an attack on a wild burro, part of a series of attacks on the creatures dating back to late 2025.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The house is falling apart, bats in the fireplace, ants marching unfazed across the floor, smells of dead creatures decaying in the walls.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Or Irish, in a time when they were seen as savages by the Englishmen?—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There's also aliens or monsters or some other supernatural entity out to get them.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
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Sometimes darkly humorous, sometimes strangely heartbreaking, this immersive storytelling experience is Edgar Allan Poe for the modern age; a heart-to-bleeding-heart with madmen, murderers and monsters all dying to tell their story.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The tale spun down that the manger star cloud was where the beasts were feeding.—
Mike Lynch,
Twin Cities,
22 Mar. 2026
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Costumed beasts and creepy crawlies aren’t limited to Halloween.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Göring, played by Russell Crowe, is the troubling centerpiece of James Vanderbilt’s ambitious film devoted to the trial of the major Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg in 1945–1946.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
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Also included is a 13% increase in funding for the Department of Justice to focus on violent criminals and a $481 million increase in funding to enhance aviation safety and support an air traffic controller hiring surge.—
LISA MASCARO,
Arkansas Online,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Other propaganda compared Native people to buffalo, cats, dogs, and devils.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
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There are sounds and shadows in the forest; the Devil, or devils, may be walking the earth.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brutes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutes. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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