noun / adjective
brute
BROOT/bruːt/
A being acting through raw strength rather than reason.
The angry brute shoves another person's chair to the floor.
Etymology
Latin brutus conveyed dullness or lack of reason, and its meaning expanded to describe animals. English brute first meant a beast, then a person regarded as beastlike in cruelty, conduct, or intelligence.
In context
the greatest man would justly be reckoned a brute if he were not civil to the meanest woman
More examples
- They opened the stuck gate with brute force.
- He treated the exhausted animal like a mindless brute.
- The program tried every possible code by brute force.
Forms
brute · brutes
Similar words
- bully
- A person who intimidates others, while brute emphasizes cruelty or unthinking strength.