beastly
/ˈbiːstli/adjective, adverb
beastly is spelled B-E-A-S-T-L-Y: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, beastly means “Pertaining to, or having the form, nature, or habits of, a beast” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in beastly?
| Letters | 7: B-E-A-S-T-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,863rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is beastly?
Beastly appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce beastly?
- /ˈbiːstli/
Beastly has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-beastly.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of beastly
- beastlier comparative
- more beastly comparative
- beastliest superlative
- most beastly superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does beastly mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
UKPertaining to, or having the form, nature, or habits of, a beast.
- 2
UKSimilar to the nature of a beast; contrary to the nature and dignity of human beings.
beastly culture
- 3
UKdatedAbominable; very unpleasant; hideous.
beastly weather
- 4
UKslangOf computer hardware or motor vehicles etc.: ostentatiously powerful.
A very big, very black, and very beastly Hummer H2, Spotted in China in in the rain the great city of Zigong in Sichuan Province.
adverb
- 1
UKLike a beast; brutishly.
- 2
UKcolloquialdatedVery much; terribly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Beastly in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense characterizing the nature of a beast; brutal; filthy:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | garstig |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does beastly come from?
From Middle English bestely, bestly, equivalent to beast + -ly. Compare West Frisian bistachtich (“beastly”), Dutch beestachtig (“beastly”), German biestig (“beastly”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).