brutalize

verb

bru·​tal·​ize ˈbrü-tᵊl-ˌīz How to pronounce brutalize (audio)
brutalized; brutalizing

transitive verb

1
: to make brutal, unfeeling, or inhuman
temperaments brutalized by poverty and disease
2
: to treat brutally
an accord not to brutalize prisoners of war
brutalization noun

Examples of brutalize in a Sentence

a young man brutalized by the experience of war The prisoners claimed to have been brutalized by their captors.
Recent Examples on the Web Several policemen were reported to have been killed, and ordinary civilians are being brutalized. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2024 Black people were brutalized by enslavers and slave patrol during the colonial era. Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 To characterize it any other way disrespects every innocent victim who was brutalized and executed. Ted Deutch, Orange County Register, 31 Jan. 2024 Despite an absence of blood and gore, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre's unbridled violence triggered bans in multiple countries and ignited controversy for brutalizing women. James Mercadante, EW.com, 27 Oct. 2023 Many Americans were happy to see the Nazis and the Communists brutalize each other. Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023 But when the shah of Iran, for his own reasons, decided to settle a border dispute with Iraq and withdraw his support in 1975, Kissinger did nothing as Iraqi forces brutalized the Kurds. Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 1 Dec. 2023 Nobel Peace laureate Denis Mukwege, whose hospital treats women raped and brutalized in the conflict, received a tiny sliver of votes. Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 31 Dec. 2023 Ortega’s relentless concentration of power has brutalized Nicaragua and darkened the imagination of one of its most creative minds. Richard Feinberg, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brutalize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of brutalize was circa 1704

Dictionary Entries Near brutalize

Cite this Entry

“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brutalize. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on brutalize

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!