animalistic

C2+ Topic:Mind & Cognition
US /ˌænɪməˈlɪstɪk/ UK /ˌænɪməˈlɪstɪk/
adj

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    characteristic of animals; driven by instinct rather than reason

    A raw, animalistic fear took hold of the crowd.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · characteristic of animals;... instinctivebestialbrutishferalprimalsavagebeastly
Word family
Derived forms animalistically
Related forms animalanimalismanimalist

Etymology

From animalist (or animal) + -istic. Animal derives from Latin animal ('living being'), from animalis ('living'), from anima ('breath, soul, life').

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Topics

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