brutish

[broo-tish]

adjective

1. brutal; cruel.

2. gross; coarse.

3. carnal; sensual.

4. uncivilized.

5. bestial; like an animal.

brutish

/ ˈbruːtɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a brute or brutes; animal

2. coarse; cruel; stupid

Other Word Forms

• brutishly adverb
• brutishness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of brutish¹

First recorded in 1485–95; brute ¹ + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

“Why must we always resort to brutish violence?” the Obayifo growls, raising Autumn’s sword.

Read more on Literature

But the longed-for comeuppance of the brutish earl is as much an attraction to the series as Ms. Peckham.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Set amid the world of international showjumping, it introduced her hero: Rupert Campbell-Black - a brutish cad who treats women and horses cruelly, before mellowing slightly through the influence of his second wife, Taggie O'Hara.

Read more on BBC

But in screenwriter Noah Pink’s melodramatic imagining of incidents both well-documented and mysterious, one can see this Hollywood veteran on a mission to loosen the shackles of his reputation and have some nasty, brutish fun.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“There’s not much there and it’s certainly not intellectually or spiritually illuminating in any way, shape or form. They are brutish entertainers, and that’s it.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• atrocious 
• barbarous 
• bitter 
• brutal 
• callous 
• cold-blooded 
• evil 
• harsh 
• hateful 
• heartless 
• inhuman 
• inhumane 
• merciless 
• painful 
• relentless 
• ruthless 
• sadistic 
• spiteful 
• tyrannical 
• unkind