bestial

[ bes-chuhl, bees- ]
See synonyms for bestial on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of, relating to, or having the form of a beast: the belief that a person could assume bestial form after death;the bestial signs of the zodiac.

  2. without reason or intelligence; brutal; inhuman: bestial treatment of prisoners.

  1. beastlike in gratifying one's sensual desires; carnal; debased.

Origin of bestial

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, either from Anglo-French or directly from Late Latin bēstiālis (Latin bēsti(a) beast + -ālis -al1)

Other words from bestial

  • bes·tial·ly, adverb

Words Nearby bestial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bestial in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bestial

bestial

/ (ˈbɛstɪəl) /


adjective
  1. brutal or savage

  2. sexually depraved; carnal

  1. lacking in refinement; brutish

  2. of or relating to a beast

Origin of bestial

1
C14: from Late Latin bestiālis, from Latin bestia beast

Derived forms of bestial

  • bestially, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012