bestial act
- noun
- /ˈbɛstʃəl ækt/
- NSFW
:
acto bestial
- And in the middle of this particular room, a place where you could see evidence of medical torture and bestial acts of sadism.
Examples
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Witnesses described the scene as one of utter horror, labeling it a bestial act of violence.
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The news reported a shocking bestial act that left the community in disbelief.
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Many condemned the bestial act, which involved harming innocent animals.
Synonyms
187
5.6
Very cruel and violent actions that hurt people
151
8.1
A very cruel or violent act that shocks people, often against innocent people
129
3.2
Actions that hurt people or animals on purpose
13
8.0
A very cruel act that hurts or kills many people
12
6.6
Very cruel actions that show no care for other people
6
8.4
Very cruel and violent behavior that hurts people
1
8.3
An act that causes someone great pain and suffering on purpose
Very cruel or violent actions like those of a wild animal that hurt people
How Brutal
- NSFW
3
4.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'bestial' (=brutal, like a beast) + 'act' (=deed), so the meaning 'an action characterized by extreme cruelty' is directly derivable from the parts. This follows normal adjective–noun semantics and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand it.
Etymology
Bestial act may come from the word bestial, which means 'like an animal', so it paints the picture of behaviour that is wild and savage. That's why the phrase is used to mean 'extremely cruel' or 'inhuman'.