1
: suitable to one who lacks intelligence, sensitivity, or compassion : befitting a brute: such as
a
: cruel, cold-blooded
a brutal attack
c
: unpleasantly accurate and incisive
the brutal truth
d
: very bad or unpleasant
a brutal mistake
e
: grossly ruthless or unfeeling
a brutal slander
2
archaic
: typical of beasts : animal
Thee, Serpent … to me so friendly grown above the rest of brutal kind …—
John Milton
John MiltonExamples of brutal in a Sentence
Sailors sometimes faced brutal punishments like whipping.
a brutal struggle for survival in the wilderness
The writer describes the dangers of drugs with brutal honesty.
The movie is a brutal depiction of the war.
The traffic was brutal on the way to work.
I had a brutal headache this morning.
Recent Examples on the Web
Still, the timeline for elimination came as news to guard Josh Giddey in the locker room after Wednesday’s brutal 157-137 blowout loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
But after the brutal crash on the first run and a second run that wasn’t much better, the dream looked to be more of a nightmare.
—Gawon Bae, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Tommy Zeigler — who has been on Florida’s death row for nearly 50 years — is asking an Orange County court to dismiss his convictions in the brutal killings of his wife, parents and customer in his furniture store on Christmas Eve 1975 and grant him a new hearing.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
Police described the killing as brutal and possibly the work of multiple people.
—John Wayne Ferguson, Houston Chronicle, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutal
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Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
But after the brutal crash on the first run and a second run that wasn’t much better, the dream looked to be more of a nightmare.
—Gawon Bae, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Tommy Zeigler — who has been on Florida’s death row for nearly 50 years — is asking an Orange County court to dismiss his convictions in the brutal killings of his wife, parents and customer in his furniture store on Christmas Eve 1975 and grant him a new hearing.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2026
Police described the killing as brutal and possibly the work of multiple people.
—John Wayne Ferguson, Houston Chronicle, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutal
Cite this Entry
“Brutal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brutal. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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