[bru.tal] adj [ME, fr. MF or ML; MF, fr. ML brutalis, fr. L brutus] (15c) 1 archaic: typical of beasts: animal
2: befitting a brute: as a: grossly ruthless or unfeeling "a ~ slander" b: cruel, cold-blooded "a ~ attack" c: harsh, severe "~ weather" d: unpleasantly accurate and incisive "the ~ truth" -- bru.tal.ly adv syn brutal, brutish, bestial, feral mean characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct. brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity "a senseless and brutal war". brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct "brutish stupidity". bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of man and fit only for beasts "bestial depravity". feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals "the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses".