bestia
/ˈbestja/feminine
The Spanish word for beast is bestia.
bestia refers to a non-human animal. Similar to English, it can also be used figuratively to describe a person acting in a cruel, violent or irrational manner.
Meaning: non-human animal (noun)
Which one should you use?
While bestia is the noun used for a beast or a brute, the adjective bestial is used to describe actions that are brutal or inhuman.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
bestia is a feminine noun, so it must be preceded by feminine articles or adjectives, such as la or una.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbestja/
Did you know?
- The word bestia can appear in the Spanish expression ¡Qué bestia! to express shock or disbelief at a situation, regardless of whether an actual animal is involved.
- While bestia describes a person, the related adjective bestial is often used in Spanish to mean 'enormous' or 'incredible', such as describing a 'bestial' amount of work.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, calling someone a bestia can be a way to express that they are incredibly skilled or talented at a specific task, much like saying someone is a 'beast' in English slang.
Examples in context
- Él se enfadó como una bestia salvaje.He raged like a wild beast.This sentence shows how to describe someone raging like a wild bestia.Tatoeba #4371645 by saverius, translation #4371098 by Lepotdeterre
- Un hombre sin moral es una bestia salvaje suelta en este mundo.A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.This sentence uses bestia to describe a man without ethics as a wild beast.Tatoeba #1793285 by marcelostockle, translation #1792601 by AsliAbbasi
- Para el hombre no hay una bestia que dé más miedo que el hombre.For man, there is no beast more scary than man.This sentence compares the fear caused by a bestia to the fear caused by man.Tatoeba #1500413 by Shishir, translation #394468 by Scott
- Esa criatura salvaje corre libre por la selva.That wild beast runs freely through the jungle.
- El león es una bestia majestuosa.The lion is a majestic beast.
- Mi hijo se porta como un bicho en el parque.My son behaves like a little beast at the park.
- ¡Ese tigre es una fiera indomable!That tiger is an untamable beast!
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are watching a nature documentary together.
- LucíaEsa bestia es realmente impresionante.That beast is truly impressive.
- AlejandroSí, es una bestia muy grande.Yes, it is a very large beast.
- LucíaMe da un poco de miedo.It scares me a little.
- AlejandroNo te preocupes, Lucía, es solo la televisión.Don't worry, Lucía, it's just the television.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “beast” translations and entries bestia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
