bestiality

bestiality — noun

1. the act of a person having sexual contact with an animal, treated in most countr

1.名詞C2
釋義

the act of a person having sexual contact with an animal, treated in most countries as a serious crime against the animal.

例句

Under Taiwan's animal protection law, bestiality is punishable by a fine and a prison term.

legal context: bestiality is punishable by

The veterinarian reported clear signs of bestiality after examining the injured farm dog.

collocation: signs of bestiality

同義詞
  • zoophilia

    clinical term for sexual attraction to animals; describes the desire, while bestiality describes the act

  • zoosexuality

    rare academic term, sometimes used by activists; bestiality is the standard legal label

文法句型

bestiality is illegal in [country]

convicted of bestiality

用法筆記

Almost always uncountable and used in legal, news, or academic contexts. Subject of the surrounding sentence is typically a law, statute, charge, or investigator — rarely a named individual. Avoid this word in casual speech.

常見錯誤

❌He committed a bestiality.
✅He committed bestiality.
💡the noun is uncountable; do not use the article 'a' or a plural.
❌The farmer was charged with bestiality of his goat.
✅The farmer was charged with bestiality involving his goat.
💡use 'involving' or 'with' + animal, not 'of'.

2. savage, low conduct in a person — the kind of cruelty or coarse behaviour we exp

2.名詞C2
釋義

savage, low conduct in a person — the kind of cruelty or coarse behaviour we expect from a wild animal rather than a human being.

例句

Witnesses described the bestiality of the soldiers who burned the village to the ground.

pattern: the bestiality of + group/event

Tolstoy's late stories expose the bestiality of the Russian gentry beneath their polite parlour conversations.

同義詞
  • savagery

    common synonym; less formal and more widely usable than bestiality

  • barbarity

    stresses the uncivilised nature of the act; often used of war or torture

  • brutality

    the most neutral of the four; focuses on physical violence rather than sub-human nature

反義詞
  • humanity

    the kind, civilised qualities we hope to see in people

  • civility

    polite, controlled conduct — the opposite tone from bestiality

文法句型

the bestiality of [war/regime/attack]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is metaphorical and refers to cruel conduct, not sexual acts. Almost always appears in literary, historical, or journalistic writing about war crimes, violence, or moral collapse, and almost always with the article 'the' followed by a description.

常見錯誤

❌He was angry and showed a bestiality.
✅He was angry and showed real bestiality.
💡uncountable; do not use 'a'.
❌The boys' fight in the playground was pure bestiality.
✅The boys' fight in the playground was just rough play.
💡the word is far too strong for everyday rudeness or scuffles; reserve it for extreme cruelty.