brutish

[ broo-tish ]

/ ˈbru tɪʃ /

See synonyms for: brutish / brutishly / brutishness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

brutal; cruel.

gross; coarse.

carnal; sensual.

uncivilized.

bestial; like an animal.

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We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?

Question 1 of 11

Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?

owl

crow

piranha

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Origin of brutish

First recorded in 1485–95; brute¹ + -ish¹

OTHER WORDS FROM brutish

brut·ish·ly, adverbbrut·ish·ness, noun

Words nearby brutish

brutalize, brute, brute force, brute-force attack, brutify, brutish, Brutus, Brutus is an honorable man, brux, Bruxelles, bruxism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for brutish

The story was so appalling, the attack so brutish and morally offensive, that it provoked an immediate, furious response.
Why It Was Right to Question Rolling Stone’s U-VA Rape Story|Michael Moynihan|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Think of it as the Jersey Shore exception, where you can act like a brutish goon and the first bust is essentially a do-over.
Ray Rice Should Have Remembered His 'Kindness' Anti-Bullying Wristband|Michael Daly|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sprewell also joins one of cogs in Pat Riley’s brutish ‘90s teams in racking up massive amounts of debt.
Guns, Blow Jobs, and Choke Holds: a History of the New York Knicks|Robert Silverman|February 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The process of Republican change is going be what we might call a two-thirds Hobbes: nasty, brutish, and long.
The GOP’s Inept Autopsy|Michael Tomasky|March 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Yet the brutish rhetoric inevitably coming from GOP opponents will only alienate Hispanics even more than they already are.
Obama Realigns, the GOP Declines: The New Political Paradigm|Robert Shrum|February 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
No stirring up of dust and ashes is excusable, and none but brutish minds delight in mud-pies mixed with blood.
Oscar Wilde|Arthur Ransome
Say nothing to them, and they will think on nothing except what flatters either their brutish passions or vanity.
The Existence of God|Francois de Salignac de La Mothe- Fenelon
I do grace him as much as I may, for I find him marvellous greedy to do anything to recover the conceit of his brutish offence.'
Sir Walter Ralegh|William Stebbing
Courage, that a poor private carrying a musket has to spare of; that does not fail a weasel or a rat; that is a brutish faculty?
The Pocket R.L.S.|Robert Louis Stevenson
She kicked and scratched and struggled in vain, to be quickly vanquished by a brutish blow.
Mlle. Fouchette|Charles Theodore Murray

British Dictionary definitions for brutish

brutish

/ (ˈbruːtɪʃ) /

adjective

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

coarse; cruel; stupid

Derived forms of brutish

brutishly, adverbbrutishness, noun

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

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brutish

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Origin of brutish

OTHER WORDS FROM brutish

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Example sentences from the Web for brutish

British Dictionary definitions for brutish

adjective

Derived forms of brutish

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

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WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

brutish

adjective

QUIZZES

DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!

Origin of brutish

OTHER WORDS FROM brutish

Words nearby brutish

Words related to brutish

Example sentences from the Web for brutish

British Dictionary definitions for brutish

adjective

Derived forms of brutish