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bru·tal adjective 1 : befitting a brute : CRUEL

2 : physically discomforting : HARSH, SEVERE <~ weather>

3 : unpleasantly accurate

— bru·tal·ly adverb

Synonyms

[1] barbarous, cruel, heartless, inhumane, sadistic, savage, vicious, wanton—more at CRUEL

[2] bitter, burdensome, cruel, excruciating, grievous, grim, hard, harsh, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, rugged, severe, stiff, tough, trying—more at HARSH

bru·tal·i·ty noun : the quality or state of being brutal

Synonyms

barbarity, cruelty, inhumanity, sadism, savagery, viciousness, wantonness—more at CRUELTY

bru·tal·ize verb -ized; -iz·ing 1 : to make brutal

2 : to treat brutally

1brute adjective [ORIGIN: ME, fr. MF brut rough, fr. L brutus brutish, lit., heavy]

1 : of or relating to beasts

2 : BRUTAL

3 : UNREASONING; also : purely physical <~ strength>

2brute noun 1 : a 4-footed animal : BEAST

2 : a brutal person

Synonyms

[1] animal, beast, creature, critter—more at ANIMAL

[2] beast, devil, fiend, monster, savage, villain

brut·ish adjective 1 : BRUTE 1

2 : strongly sensual; also : showing little intelligence

BS abbreviation bachelor of science

BSA abbreviation Boy Scouts of America

bskt abbreviation basket

Bt abbreviation baronet

btry abbreviation battery

Btu abbreviation British thermal unit

bu abbreviation bushel

1bubble noun 1 : a globule of gas in a liquid

2 : a thin film of liquid filled with gas

3 : something lacking firmness or solidity

2bubble verb bub·bled; bub·bling : to form, rise in, or give off bubbles

bub·bly adjective : full of or showing good spirits

Synonyms

buoyant, effervescent, exuberant, frolicsome, high-spirited, vivacious—more at EXUBERANT

bub·kes noun plural [ORIGIN: Yiddish]

: the least amount

bu·bo noun, plural buboes : an inflammatory swelling of a lymph gland

bu·bon·ic plague noun : plague caused by a bacterium transmitted to human beings by flea bites and marked esp. by chills and fever and by buboes usu. in the groin

buc·ca·neer noun : any of the freebooters preying on Spanish ships and settlements esp. in 17th century West Indies; broadly : PIRATE

Synonyms

corsair, freebooter, pirate, rover—more at PIRATE

1buck noun, plural bucks 1 or pl buck : a male animal (as a deer or antelope)

2 a : a male human being

b : a man with unusual consideration for personal appearance : DANDY

3 : DOLLAR

Synonyms

[2a] chap, dude, fellow, gent, gentleman, guy, hombre, jack, joker, lad, male, man—more at MAN

[2b] dandy, dude, fop, gallant—more at DANDY

2buck verb 1 : to spring with an arching leap

2 : to charge against something; also : to strive for advancement sometimes without regard to ethical behavior

3 : to offer resistance to

Synonyms

[1] hitch, jerk, jolt, twitch—more at JERK

[3] defy, fight, oppose, repel, resist, withstand—more at RESIST

buck·board noun : a 4-wheeled horse-drawn wagon with a floor of long springy boards

buck·et noun 1 : a cylindrical open-top container with a handle : PAIL

2 a : an object resembling a bucket in collecting, scooping, or carrying something

b : as much as a bucket will hold; broadly : a large quantity

— buck·et·ful noun

bucket seat noun : a low separate seat for one person (as in an automobile)

buck·eye noun : any of various trees or shrubs related to the horse chestnut; also : the large nutlike seed of such a shrub or tree

buck fever noun : nervous excitement of an inexperienced hunter at the sight of game

1buckle noun : a clasp (as on a belt) for two loose ends

2buckle verb buck·led; buck·ling 1 : to fasten with a buckle

2 : to apply oneself with vigor

3 : to crumple up : BEND, COLLAPSE

Synonyms

address, apply, bend, devote, give—more at APPLY

3buckle noun : BEND, FOLD, KINK

buck·ler noun : SHIELD

buck·ram noun : a coarse stiff cloth used esp. for binding books

buck·saw noun : a saw set in a usu. H-shaped frame for sawing wood