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
Society’s collapse is swift and brutal, leading to widespread despair and violence.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 22 Apr. 2026
As diplomacy stalls, brutal fighting grinds along an 800-mile front with heavy Russian casualties, while Ukraine escalates drone strikes deep inside Russian territory.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Yet much of the region’s decline was caused by Russian or pro-Russian oligarchs who had bought up factories, bankrupted them to eliminate competition, and imposed brutal conditions on workers.
—Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
Facing a brutal system throughout her incarceration – compounded by her transgender identity and HIV-positive diagnosis – Dee taught herself the law from within the prison library, working to fight an unjust system for herself and others.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutal
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David Faris, TheWeek, 22 Apr. 2026
As diplomacy stalls, brutal fighting grinds along an 800-mile front with heavy Russian casualties, while Ukraine escalates drone strikes deep inside Russian territory.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Yet much of the region’s decline was caused by Russian or pro-Russian oligarchs who had bought up factories, bankrupted them to eliminate competition, and imposed brutal conditions on workers.
—Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
Facing a brutal system throughout her incarceration – compounded by her transgender identity and HIV-positive diagnosis – Dee taught herself the law from within the prison library, working to fight an unjust system for herself and others.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 21 Apr. 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 23 Apr. 2026.
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