brute
/bruːt/ (bre, ipa) · /bruːt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbrüt/ (ame, mw)
brute — noun
- brutesingular
- brutesplural
1. a rough, cruel person, especially a man who hurts people or frightens them.
a rough, cruel person, especially a man who hurts people or frightens them.
Hamza shoved the waiter, and the crowd called him a brute.
pattern: call somebody a brute
After the dog was kicked, Elena screamed, 'You brute!'
direct insult: 'You brute!'
Ryan stopped the match when one brute punched a smaller boy.
Everyone in the village knew the landlord was a brute to workers.
- gentleman
emphasizes controlled and considerate behaviour
- kind person
someone who treats others with care
文法句型
call somebody a brute
be a brute to + person
you brute!
用法筆記
A strong insult for someone who treats people with violence or shocking roughness. It is especially common when the speaker wants to condemn a man's behaviour, not merely say he is strict or unfriendly.
常見錯誤
2. a non-human creature, often pictured as big, strong, or threatening.
a non-human creature, often pictured as big, strong, or threatening.
The hunters backed away when the brute rose on its hind legs.
brute for a threatening animal
In the old poem, the wounded brute dragged itself into the cave.
a wounded brute
The keeper calmed the brute before opening the gate to clean the pen.
To the frightened child, the farm bull looked like a brute.
- human being
contrasts with a non-human creature
文法句型
the brute + verb
a wounded brute
look like a brute
用法筆記
This sense sounds more literary or dramatic than animal. It often suggests a creature that seems large, frightening, or hard to control.
常見錯誤
brute — adjective
- brutepositive
- brutercomparative
- brutestsuperlative
1. using sheer physical strength instead of skill, care, or planning.
using sheer physical strength instead of skill, care, or planning.
The firefighters used brute force to bend the metal gate open.
collocation: brute force
Arjun relied on brute strength to lift the crate onto the truck.
collocation: brute strength
The wrestler won by brute power, not by careful footwork.
With brute force, the thief broke the lock before the alarm sounded.
文法句型
brute force
brute strength
brute power
用法筆記
Usually used before nouns such as force, strength, and power. It stresses physical effort alone, without cleverness, precision, or a careful method.
常見錯誤
2. driven by animal instinct, with no room for reason, feeling, or self-control.
driven by animal instinct, with no room for reason, feeling, or self-control.
In the smoke, brute instinct made Gabriel crawl under the table.
collocation: brute instinct
After three days without food, brute hunger drove the men to steal bread.
collocation: brute hunger
At the burning gate, brute fear sent the horses crashing past the cart.
After the flood, brute need drove families to fight for clean water.
- bestial
stronger and often more literary, with a heavier moral tone
- animal-like
plain descriptive wording without the same literary force
- feral
often suggests wildness through lack of social control
文法句型
brute instinct
brute hunger
brute fear
用法筆記
Rare and literary. Usually used before nouns such as instinct, hunger, fear, or need when a reaction seems closer to animal impulse than to thought or restraint.