feral 1 of 2

Definition of feralnext

feral

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective feral differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of feral are bestial, brutal, and brutish. While all these words mean "characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct," feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals.

the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

In what contexts can bestial take the place of feral?

While the synonyms bestial and feral are close in meaning, bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

When would brutal be a good substitute for feral?

Although the words brutal and feral have much in common, 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 brutish a more appropriate choice than feral?

The meanings of brutish and feral largely overlap; however, brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

Example 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 feral
Adjective
Not a dog barking or a feral cat knocking the lid off the garbage. Ellen Bass, New Yorker, 4 May 2026 As Columbia, Rodriguez takes big, bold swings, shifting from manic exuberance to bruised vulnerability to feral anger over the course of the night. Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
Showrunner Sam Levinson brought his own ideas, too, encouraging the team to move beyond the whimsical and the experimental into the feral. Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for feral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feral
Adjective
  • White Sox fans got the last laugh on Sunday afternoon as their squad completed a wild, thrilling comeback victory over their crosstown rivals.
    Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
  • Ebola virus is transmitted to people from wild animals, such as fruit bats, porcupines and non-human primates, with fruit bats believed to be the natural hosts of the orthoebolavirus.
    Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 18 May 2026
Adjective
  • This misery-making helped Hantz brute-force his way to two successive finales.
    Shaan Merchant, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2026
  • Rather than overpowering them with brute force, German forces managed to defeat the French and British forces in the Battle of France (1940) by simply outmaneuvering them.
    Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 20 May 2026
Noun
  • Every sort of animal and flower was represented.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
  • And the answer is the animal reservoir hosts.
    Dana Taylor, USA Today, 20 May 2026
Adjective
  • This experience prioritizes the animals’ wellbeing by focusing on increasing the population, collecting data, and working with experts who have success in re-wilding.
    Jack Tydeman, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The traditional studio model already faces immense pressure from fragmented audiences, rising production costs, declining television economics and an increasingly brutal streaming market.
    Joseph M. Singer, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026
  • About 150 cops were hospitalized after brutal beatings by those criminal rioters.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 22 May 2026
Noun
  • My bathtub seems to be a place these cute beasties like to hang out.
    Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
  • Thirty-two of the collared beasties are out there right now, aperitifs in waiting.
    Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 1 May 2026
Adjective
  • Take George Mullins — 18 years old at the battle of Carentan, one of the most savage engagements of the war, where his company lost 43 of its 45 men in three days of fighting.
    Afdhel Aziz, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
  • The perpetrators of these crimes are savage animals without a shred of humanity.
    Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2026
Adjective
  • In Buc-ee's complaint, the chain argues that the animalistic logo is too similar to its own – a toothy beaver wearing a red ballcap inside a bright yellow circle.
    Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 6 May 2026
  • The song’s almost animalistic sensuality is miles away from the safe choices Skye has made—or been asked to make—until now.
    Cameron Cook, Pitchfork, 22 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Feral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feral. Accessed 23 May. 2026.

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