bestial
Americanadjective
-
brutal or savage
-
sexually depraved; carnal
-
lacking in refinement; brutish
-
of or relating to a beast
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bestial
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, either from Anglo-French or directly from Late Latin bēstiālis ( Latin bēsti(a) beast + -ālis -al 1 )
Explanation
Bestial sounds like beast, and that is precisely what it means, "beast-like." When a human acts like an animal, their behavior is called bestial. Bestial is often used to describe behavior that is primitive or uncivilized. If someone living on a desert island took to grunting and crawling on all fours searching for bugs in dirt, you could say she had descended to the bestial.
Vocabulary lists containing bestial
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
And Then There Were None
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Although he welcomed the Gladstone apology in Guyana, he said the failure to acknowledge Jamaica hinted at "an unwillingness to face up to the full brutal, bestial horror of chattel slavery" in the country.
From BBC • Aug. 25, 2023
In an interview with The Verge from 2016, Ueda largely attributed this to the difficulties in bestial cat / bird / dog Trico’s technical design.
From The Verge • Dec. 2, 2019
Gollum guía a Frodo y Sam a Mordor mientras Aragorn y sus compañeros defienden a Rohan del bestial ejército de Saruman.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2019
And you said that one of the things that was interesting to you about America was that, despite bestial behavior, we had failed to produce a nation of beasts.
From The New Yorker • Aug. 7, 2019
Something outside roared, a thunderous bellow of bestial ferocity.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
