bestial

American  

[bes-chuhl, bees-] / ˈbɛs tʃəl, ˈbis- /

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.

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

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bestial British  

/ ˈbɛstɪəl /

adjective

1. brutal or savage

2. sexually depraved; carnal

3. lacking in refinement; brutish

4. of or relating to a beast

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Other Word Forms

• bestially adverb

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 )

Example Sentences

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

White-suited Dr. Moreau herds his bestial mutants and plots to mate his panther-woman with a visitor.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 23, 2020

They couldn’t see me and I couldn’t see them, but in the explosive clamor of snorting and hooves, I fancied I was caught up in some colossal bestial panic that would crush me to death.

From New York Times • Dec. 20, 2019

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

But here the nymph, again, came to our rescue, dabbing ambrosia under each man’s nose— a perfume drowning out the bestial odor.

From "The Odyssey" by Homer