a. | 1. | Not having sensation; senseless; inanimate; unconscious; without intelligence or volition; as, the brute earth; the brute powers of nature. |
| 2. | Not possessing reason, irrational; unthinking; as, a brute beast; the brute creation. |
| 3. | Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of, a brute beast. Hence: Brutal; cruel; fierce; ferocious; savage; pitiless; as, brute violence. |
| 4. | Having the physical powers predominating over the mental; coarse; unpolished; unintelligent. |
| 5. | Rough; uncivilized; unfeeling. |
The application of predominantly physical effort to achieve a goal that could be accomplished with less effort if more carefully considered. Figuratively, repetitive or strenuous application of an obvious or simple tactic, as contrasted with a more clever stratagem achieving the same goal with less effort; - as, the first prime numbers were discovered by the brute force repetition of the Sieve of Eratosthenes. |