brutality
noun
bru·tal·i·ty
brü-ˈta-lə-tē 
plural brutalities
1
: the quality or state of being brutal
2
: a brutal act or course of action
Examples of brutality in a Sentence
the brutalities of a prison
the police were accused of brutality for using excessive force in making arrests
Recent Examples on the Web
This includes re-enshrining, codifying and strengthening our inalienable rights in the United States and abolishing ICE to ensure immigration and the struggle of migrants is treated as a civilian one, requiring support instead of brutality and criminalization.
—
Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Although their relationship begins as a love story, the book brings home the profits of Jacob’s earlier brutality—fate catches up to him, and everything that is love and passion sort of spoils into wrath and obsession.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 May 2026
Giuliani’s time in office was marked by a crackdown on crime, but race relations eroded as Giuliani defended the police against accusations of bias and brutality.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Based on Otessa Moshfegh’s novel about women driven to extremes by life in a small town, Thomasin McKenzie stars as the titular gruff clerk at a boys prison, physically and mentally stuck in a reality inextricable from male brutality.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutality
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Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Although their relationship begins as a love story, the book brings home the profits of Jacob’s earlier brutality—fate catches up to him, and everything that is love and passion sort of spoils into wrath and obsession.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 6 May 2026
Giuliani’s time in office was marked by a crackdown on crime, but race relations eroded as Giuliani defended the police against accusations of bias and brutality.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Based on Otessa Moshfegh’s novel about women driven to extremes by life in a small town, Thomasin McKenzie stars as the titular gruff clerk at a boys prison, physically and mentally stuck in a reality inextricable from male brutality.
—Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutality
Cite this Entry
“Brutality.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brutality. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
brutality
noun
bru·tal·i·ty
brü-ˈtal-ət-ē
plural brutalities
1
: the quality or state of being brutal
2
: a brutal act or course of action
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