Animalesque

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having the appearance, qualities or nature typical of an animal, especially in a wild or primitive way
2. Suggesting or resembling a beast in form, behavior or instinctive character
3. Showing features that recall the animal kingdom, such as brute physicality or unrefined instinct

Etymology: "Animalesque" is a plain formation: the noun "animal" with the suffix "-esque," which English borrowed from French "-esque" (itself from Italian "-esco") and uses to mean "in the manner of" or "in the style of." Adding it to "animal" yields a word meaning beastlike in nature, much like "statuesque" describes something resembling a statue. The word is a piecewise doublet of "animalish," meaning that the two words were built on the same base but by different routes, so they share a root while each part was assembled separately. Both point to the same idea: an animal's character, not literally an animal.

Synonyms: bestial, animal-like, brutish

Antonyms: human, civilized