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feral

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective feral differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of feral are bestial, brutal, and brutish. While all these words mean "characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct," feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals.

the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

In what contexts can bestial take the place of feral?

While the synonyms bestial and feral are close in meaning, bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

When would brutal be a good substitute for feral?

Although the words brutal and feral have much in common, brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity.

a senseless and brutal war

When is brutish a more appropriate choice than feral?

The meanings of brutish and feral largely overlap; however, brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of feral
Adjective
However, some countries including Italy, Austria, and Japan have laws on the books that protect cats, particularly feral cat colonies. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 5 Feb. 2025 Scrim was squeezed into a trap that had been set for feral cats. Rick Rojas, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2025 More than 80 domestic cats, among many other types of mammals, have been confirmed to have had bird flu since 2022 -- generally barn cats that lived on dairy farms, as well as feral cats and pets that spend time outdoors and likely caught it by hunting diseased rodents or wild birds. Sarah Boden, ABC News, 10 Feb. 2025 His Orlok is more feral and red-blooded than previous iterations, appearing swathed in ursine furs and accompanied by mangy curs. Celia Mattison, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for feral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feral
Adjective
  • Summit even took Billboard on a run in Miami, explaining that given his wild schedule, exercise keeps him sane.
    Katie Bain, Billboard, 10 Mar. 2025
  • When the site was functioning, Musk made sure to spread a wild conspiracy theory about a fire at a Tesla lot in Seattle late Sunday night that damaged several Cybertrucks.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • This is her answer, in part: In terms of brute force and repression, the grip of the dictatorship in Cuba is as tight as ever.
    Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 24 Feb. 2025
  • The United States should never seek to match China’s brute force approach to economic power.
    Steve Bowsher, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • At Tree by Naked Yoyogi Park, a multi-sensory dining experience in Tokyo designed by Japanese visual artist Ryotaro Muramatsu, guests put on VR headsets for part of the meal, transporting themselves into a comical world where animals eat and dress like humans.
    Kristin Tablang, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
  • This style of outerwear, worn over a man’s pants, consists of animal hides that still have the creature’s hair or fur attached, all the better to repel snow and rain.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The free chow was served daily, except on Fridays, and continued through a brutal period of industrywide cost-cutting that persists to this day.
    Katcy Stephan, Variety, 1 Mar. 2025
  • England’s Champions Trophy campaign finally came to a brutal end when they were beaten by South Africa in Karachi by seven wickets with almost 21 overs to spare.
    Tim Ellis, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Catch up quick: The legendary little beastie first came to New Orleans by way of the Terrebonne Parish animal shelter.
    Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025
  • But regardless of whether the beastie predicts six more weeks of winter or holds out the promise of an early Spring, next week should bring a respite of warmer weather.
    Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.
    Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 27 Dec. 2022
  • The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2022
Noun
  • Don’t go to bed early; some night dives have a twist with UV dive lights and mask filters that give some critters and corals a fluorescent flow.
    Curaçao Tourist Board, AFAR Media, 26 Feb. 2025
  • This can be an unpleasant odor for humans to encounter, but the critters in the video seem enthusiastic about interacting with the eau de skunk.
    Amanda Kooser, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Beyond the obvious significance of subverting traditional power dynamics and placing the mic in her fans’ hands, the most unbelievable part of the evening was Gaga dancing among us to her album, totally blending in with her fellow black-clad, sunglass-wearing nightlife creatures.
    James Factora, Them, 6 Mar. 2025
  • The music inspires its creatures, and vice versa — like the Altamaha-ha, a legendary water beast that hails from stories told around the Altamaha River in Georgia.
    Nick Romano, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Feral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feral. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

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