Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'Beastly'

English Word: beastly

Key Russian Translations:

• ужасный [uˈʐasnyj] - [Formal/Informal, used for describing something terrible or awful]
• зверский [ˈzvʲerskʲij] - [Informal, often used for brutal or savage behavior]
• отвратительный [atvraˈtʲitʲilʲnyj] - [Formal/Informal, used for something disgusting or repulsive]

Frequency: Medium (commonly used in specific contexts like literature or expressive speech)

Difficulty: B1-B2 (Intermediate; varies slightly by translation due to nuanced usage)

Pronunciation (Russian):

ужасный: [uˈʐasnyj]

Note on ужасный: Stress falls on the second syllable; the 'ж' sound is a voiced retroflex fricative, unique to Russian.

зверский: [ˈzvʲerskʲij]

Note on зверский: Stress on the first syllable; the 'р' is rolled, and 'с' is palatalized before 'к'.

отвратительный: [atvraˈtʲitʲilʲnyj]

Note on отвратительный: Stress on the third syllable; complex consonant clusters may be challenging for learners.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

1. Terrible or Awful (quality or experience)

Translation(s) & Context:

• ужасный - Used to describe something dreadful, like weather or a situation.
• отвратительный - Often implies disgust, used for taste, behavior, or appearance.

Usage Examples:

• Погода сегодня ужасная, невозможно выйти на улицу.

  The weather today is beastly; it's impossible to go outside.

• Этот суп отвратительный, я не могу его есть.

  This soup is beastly; I can't eat it.

• Ужасный день, всё пошло не так.

  A beastly day; everything went wrong.

2. Brutal or Savage (behavior or manner)

Translation(s) & Context:

• зверский - Refers to cruelty or ferocity, often in behavior or actions.

Usage Examples:

• У него был зверский взгляд, когда он говорил.

  He had a beastly look when he spoke.

• Это было зверское нападение, никто не выжил.

  It was a beastly attack; no one survived.

Russian Forms/Inflections:

ужасный (adjective): Declines based on gender, number, and case following standard Russian adjective patterns.

Case	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter	Plural
Nominative	ужасный	ужасная	ужасное	ужасные
Genitive	ужасного	ужасной	ужасного	ужасных

зверский (adjective): Follows similar declension rules as ужасный.

отвратительный (adjective): Also declines like a standard adjective, with similar patterns.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

Synonyms for ужасный (terrible):

• страшный
• жуткий

Note: 'страшный' often implies fear, while 'жуткий' is closer to eerie or creepy.

Antonyms for ужасный:

• прекрасный
• замечательный

Related Phrases:

• ужасная погода - Terrible weather, often used in daily conversation.
• зверский аппетит - Beastly appetite, meaning extremely hungry.
• отвратительный запах - Beastly smell, used for something very unpleasant.

Usage Notes:

• 'Beastly' in English can carry both literal (animal-like) and figurative (terrible/awful) meanings. In Russian, 'зверский' aligns more with the literal sense of brutality, while 'ужасный' and 'отвратительный' cover the figurative sense of something awful or unpleasant.
• Choose 'ужасный' for general negative descriptions (e.g., weather, situations), 'отвратительный' for disgust, and 'зверский' for savage or brutal contexts.
• These adjectives often precede the noun they modify in Russian, unlike English where 'beastly' can be flexible in position.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using 'зверский' to describe bad weather.
  Incorrect: Погода зверская.
  Correct: Погода ужасная.
  Explanation: 'зверский' implies brutality or savagery, not general unpleasantness.
• Error: Misusing 'отвратительный' for non-sensory contexts.
  Incorrect: У меня отвратительный день.
  Correct: У меня ужасный день.
  Explanation: 'отвратительный' is tied to disgust (taste, smell), not abstract badness.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian, describing something as 'зверский' often evokes imagery of wild animals or extreme cruelty, rooted in historical and literary contexts of survival or harshness. It’s more intense than the casual English use of 'beastly' and should be used carefully to avoid sounding overly dramatic.

Related Concepts:

• жестокость (cruelty)
• дикость (wildness)
• неприятность (unpleasantness)