brute
/bruːt/ (bre, ipa) · /bruːt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbrüt/ (ame, mw)
brute — 名詞
- brutesingular
- brutesplural
1. a rough, cruel person, especially a man who hurts people or frightens them.
惡漢
粗暴殘忍、愛動手的人
a rough, cruel person, especially a man who hurts people or frightens them.
Hamza shoved the waiter, and the crowd called him a brute.
Hamza 推了服務生一下，圍觀的人都罵他是個惡漢。
pattern: call somebody a brute
After the dog was kicked, Elena screamed, 'You brute!'
狗被踢了一腳後，Elena 尖叫著說：「你這個惡漢！」
direct insult: 'You brute!'
Ryan stopped the match when one brute punched a smaller boy.
一個惡漢揮拳打向較小的男孩時，Ryan 叫停了比賽。
Everyone in the village knew the landlord was a brute to workers.
村裡每個人都知道，那個地主對工人很粗暴，是個惡漢。
- 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.
野獸
尤指大型或兇猛的動物
a non-human creature, often pictured as big, strong, or threatening.
The hunters backed away when the brute rose on its hind legs.
那頭野獸用後腿站起來時，獵人們都往後退了。
brute for a threatening animal
In the old poem, the wounded brute dragged itself into the cave.
在那首老詩裡，那頭受傷的野獸把自己拖進洞裡。
a wounded brute
The keeper calmed the brute before opening the gate to clean the pen.
管理員先安撫那頭野獸，才打開閘門去清理欄舍。
To the frightened child, the farm bull looked like a brute.
在那個受驚的孩子眼裡，那頭公牛看起來就像一頭野獸。
- 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 — 形容詞
- brutepositive
- brutercomparative
- brutestsuperlative
1. using sheer physical strength instead of skill, care, or planning.
蠻力的
只靠體力，不靠技巧或思考
using sheer physical strength instead of skill, care, or planning.
The firefighters used brute force to bend the metal gate open.
消防員用蠻力把金屬門拗開。
collocation: brute force
Arjun relied on brute strength to lift the crate onto the truck.
Arjun 靠蠻力把木箱抬上卡車。
collocation: brute strength
The wrestler won by brute power, not by careful footwork.
那名摔角手靠蠻力取勝，不是靠細緻的步法。
With brute force, the thief broke the lock before the alarm sounded.
在警報響起前，小偷用蠻力弄壞了鎖。
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.
獸性的
像野獸般憑本能行事
driven by animal instinct, with no room for reason, feeling, or self-control.
In the smoke, brute instinct made Gabriel crawl under the table.
在煙霧裡，獸性般的本能讓 Gabriel 爬進桌子底下。
collocation: brute instinct
After three days without food, brute hunger drove the men to steal bread.
三天沒吃東西後，獸性般的飢餓逼得那些人去偷麵包。
collocation: brute hunger
At the burning gate, brute fear sent the horses crashing past the cart.
大火燒到大門時，獸性般的恐懼讓馬群撞過推車。
After the flood, brute need drove families to fight for clean water.
洪水過後，獸性般的求生需求逼得各家各戶去搶乾淨的水。
- 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.