Meaning & use
animalistic
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Meaning
adjectivecomparable
Driven by raw instinct and bodily urges, in the way an animal acts, instead of by careful thought or manners.
Grammar: Can stand before a noun or follow a linking verb: an animalistic growl; his rage seemed animalistic.
Patterns
- animalistic in something
The crowd let out an animalistic roar when the winning goal went in.
Hunger had made him almost animalistic, tearing at the bread with both hands.
Critics described the dancer's movements as animalistic, all crouching and sudden leaps.
Word forms
| comparative | more animalistic |
|---|---|
| superlative | most animalistic |
Common combinations
- animalistic instincts
- Fear woke his animalistic instincts and he ran without thinking.
- animalistic behavior
- The report blamed the riot on animalistic behavior fueled by panic.
- animalistic growl
- An animalistic growl came from the back of his throat.
- animalistic urge
- She fought the animalistic urge to scream at them.
- almost animalistic
- The fury in his eyes was almost animalistic.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bestial
- Bestial is harsher and suggests cruelty or depravity, whereas animalistic can simply mean raw and instinctive.
- primal
- Primal points to something deep and ancient in human nature and often sounds admiring, while animalistic is more often a criticism.
- feral
- Feral literally describes formerly tame animals gone wild, so it fits a wild, untamed look more than animalistic does.
- brutish
- Brutish stresses coarseness and lack of refinement in a person, where animalistic stresses instinct.
Opposites
Word family
- animal noun
- a living creature that is not a plant or a human, or a person acting without restraint
- animalism noun
- the quality of being driven by physical appetites
- animality noun
- the animal side of a person's nature
Commonly confused: animalistic or animal-like?
animalistic vs animal-like
Animal-like is neutral and just means resembling an animal, while animalistic usually carries a hint of disapproval or primitive savagery.
Practice
The soldiers' hunger had reached an ___ level, and they fought over scraps of food.
Choose one answer.
Animalistic describes behavior ruled by instinct rather than reason. Animated means lively, which does not suit desperate fighting, and animosity is a noun meaning hostility.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “animalistic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.