different between brutal vs brute

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin brutalis (“savage, stupid”), from Latin br?tus (“dull, stupid”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b?u?t?l/
• Rhymes: -u?t?l

Adjective

brutal (comparative more brutal, superlative most brutal)

2. Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel
3. Crude or unfeeling in manner or speech.
4. Harsh; unrelenting
5. Disagreeably precise or penetrating
6. (music, figuratively) In extreme metal, to describe the speed of the music and the density of riffs.
7. Direct and without attempt to disguise unpleasantness.

Synonyms

• barbaric
• cold-blooded
• savage
• vicious

Antonyms

• gentle
• kind

Related terms

• brutality
• brutally
• brute
• brutish

Translations

Further reading

• brutal in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• brutal in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• brutal at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Brault

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin brutalis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA^(key): /b?u?tal/

Adjective

brutal (masculine and feminine plural brutals)

1. brutal

Derived terms

• brutalisme
• brutalitat
• brutalment

Related terms

• brut

Further reading

• “brutal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Danish

Etymology

From French brutal, from Latin br?tus (“dull, stupid”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bruta?l/, [b??u?t?æ??l]

Adjective

brutal

1. brutal
2. savage

Inflection

Derived terms

• brutalitet

French

Etymology

From Medieval Latin br?t?lis (“savage, stupid”), from br?tus (“dull, stupid”). See brut and -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?y.tal/

Adjective

brutal (feminine singular brutale, masculine plural brutaux, feminine plural brutales)

1. brutal

Noun

brutal m (plural brutaux, feminine brutale)

1. person who acts brutally

Derived terms

• brutalement
• brutaliser
• brutalité

Further reading

• “brutal” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• brulât, brûlât

German

Etymology

From Latin brutalis, from brutus (“dull, stupid”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?u?ta?l/
• Rhymes: -a?l

Adjective

brutal (comparative brutaler, superlative am brutalsten)

1. brutal

Declension

Synonyms

• barbarisch
• kaltblütig

Antonyms

• freundlich

Related terms

• Brutalität

Further reading

• “brutal” in Duden online

Indonesian

Etymology

From English brutal, from Medieval Latin brutalis (“savage, stupid”), from Latin br?tus (“dull, stupid”). Doublet of bruto, guru.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?brutal]
• Hyphenation: bru?tal

Adjective

brutal (plural brutal-brutal)

1. (colloquial) brutal
   1. violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel.

      Synonym: kejam

   2. harsh; unrelenting.

      Synonym: kasar

Further reading

• “brutal” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI) Daring, Jakarta: Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa, Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia, 2016.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin brutus, via French brutal.

Adjective

brutal (neuter singular brutalt, definite singular and plural brutale)

1. brutal

Related terms

• brutalitet

References

• “brutal” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin brutus, via French brutal.

Adjective

brutal (neuter singular brutalt, definite singular and plural brutale)

1. brutal

Related terms

• brutalitet

References

• “brutal” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Occitan

Alternative forms

• brutau (Limousin)

Adjective

brutal m (feminine singular brutala, masculine plural brutals, feminine plural brutalas) (Languedoc)

1. brutal

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana, L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2016, page 132.

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin brutalis.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /b?u?ta?/
• Hyphenation: bru?tal

Adjective

brutal m or f (plural brutais, comparable)

1. brutal, brutish
2. (colloquial) huge
3. (colloquial) fantastic, extraordinary

Romanian

Etymology

From Latin brutalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bru?tal/

Adjective

brutal m or n (feminine singular brutal?, masculine plural brutali, feminine and neuter plural brutale)

1. brutal

Declension

Related terms

• brut
• brutalitate
• brutaliza
• brutalizare

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin br?t?lis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?u?tal/, [b?u?t?al]

Adjective

brutal (plural brutales)

1. brutal

Derived terms

• brutalidad
• brutalismo
• brutalizar
• brutalmente

Related terms

• bruto

Further reading

• “brutal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

Swedish

Etymology

From French brutal from Medieval Latin brutalis, from br?tus.

Pronunciation

Adjective

brutal (comparative brutalare, superlative brutalast)

1. brutal

Declension

Related terms

• brutalisera

Anagrams

• bultar

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: bro?ot, IPA^(key): /b?u?t/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /b?ut/
• Rhymes: -u?t

Etymology 1

From Middle French brut, from Old French brut, from Latin br?tus (“dull, stupid, insensible”), an Oscan loanword, from Proto-Indo-European *g?réh?us (“heavy”). Cognate with Ancient Greek ????? (barús), Persian ????? (gerân) and Sanskrit ???? (gurú) (English guru).

Adjective

brute (comparative more brute, superlative most brute)

1. Without reason or intelligence (of animals). [from 15th c.]

2. Characteristic of unthinking animals; senseless, unreasoning (of humans). [from 16th c.]
3. Unconnected with intelligence or thought; purely material, senseless. [from 16th c.]

4. Crude, unpolished. [from 17th c.]
5. Strong, blunt, and spontaneous.

6. Brutal; cruel; fierce; ferocious; savage; pitiless.

Translations

Noun

brute (plural brutes)

1. (archaic) An animal seen as being without human reason; a senseless beast. [from 17th c.]
   • 1714, Bernard Mandeville, The Fable of the Bees:

     they laid before them how unbecoming it was the Dignity of such sublime Creatures to be sollicitous about gratifying those Appetites, which they had in common with Brutes, and at the same time unmindful of those higher qualities that gave them the preeminence over all visible Beings.

   • 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.17:

     But if he lives badly, he will, in the next life, be a woman; if he (or she) persists in evil-doing, he (or she) will become a brute, and go on through transmigrations until at last reason conquers.

2. A person with the characteristics of an unthinking animal; a coarse or brutal person. [from 17th c.]

   • She was frankly disappointed. For some reason she had thought to discover a burglar of one or another accepted type—either a dashing cracksman in full-blown evening dress, lithe, polished, pantherish, or a common yegg, a red-eyed, unshaven burly brute in the rags and tatters of a tramp.

3. (film, television) A kind of powerful spotlight.
   • 1976, A. Arthur Englander, ?Paul Petzold, Filming for Television (page 191)

     For a scene like the Highgate exhumation night sequence suitable equipment would consist of: two brutes on Molevators, three 10 K lights also on Molevators and, for good measure, two 5 Ks, four 2 Ks, two pups (1000 W), two North lights […]

4. (archaic, Britain, Cambridge University slang) One who has not yet matriculated.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

brute (third-person singular simple present brutes, present participle bruting, simple past and past participle bruted)

1. (transitive) To shape (diamonds) by grinding them against each other.

Etymology 2

Verb

brute (third-person singular simple present brutes, present participle bruting, simple past and past participle bruted)

1. Obsolete spelling of bruit

Anagrams

• Ubert, buret, rebut, tuber

Dutch

Pronunciation

Adjective

brute

1. Inflected form of bruut

French

Adjective

brute

1. feminine singular of brut

Noun

brute f (plural brutes)

1. brute, an animal lacking in reason.
2. An animal lacking in intelligence and sensibility.
3. (By analogy) A person without reason.
4. One who imposes his will on others using violence - a bully.

Further reading

• “brute” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• buter, rebut, tuber

Italian

Adjective

brute

1. feminine plural of bruto

Anagrams

• turbe

Latin

Adjective

br?te

1. vocative masculine singular of br?tus