bestia

beast; animal

noun BEH-styah Rare

Origin: Latin bestia (wild animal)

Also means

brute (person)

Usage Note

Bestia is used for any non-human creature in an informal register, but its most common everyday use is figurative: calling someone a bestia means they are ignorant, rough, or brutish. The exclamation bestia! or che bestia! can express frustration or mild insult. Do not confuse with belva (wild/ferocious beast), which is stronger.

Examples

"Quella bestia mi ha spaventato."

Natural Translation

That beast frightened me.

Literal Translation

That beast me has frightened.

Related Words

Explore Italian by topic

ItalianNow

Italian Articles: Il, Lo, La, I, Gli, Le Explained

Italian has seven words for 'the' — il, lo, la, i, gli, le — but it's two questions, not seven cases. Master gender, sound, and the lo/gli rule fast.

June 5, 2026 7 min read

ItalianNow

Avere Fame: Why Italians "Have" Hunger, Not "Are"

In Italian you say Ho fame (I have hunger), never sono fame. Learn the avere + noun rule for fame, freddo, paura, age, and the sono caldo trap to avoid.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Prepositions: A, In, Di, Da, Su Made Simple

Cities take a, countries take in, origin is di, agents are da. Master the five Italian prepositions a, in, di, da, su and their contractions fast.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

C'è vs Ci Sono: There Is/Are in Italian

C'è for one thing, ci sono for many — that's the rule. Master Italian's there is/there are with c'era, ci sarà, è vs c'è, and non c'è nessuno.

June 9, 2026 5 min read