1
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
the police were accused of brutality for using excessive force in making arrests
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brutishness
the manifestation of the traits or the gratification of the appetites of a lower animal
the disconcerting ease with which the people adopted the brutality of the enemy invaders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutality
In a trio of bills in 2021, Cooper signed off on the most sweeping criminal justice reforms during his time in office in response to the death of George Floyd, which sparked accusations that racist police brutality is rampant.
—
Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2025
More than a decade into the franchise, the sweeping romanticism of author Diana Gabaldon’s story is matched only by a constantly evolving definition of trauma, leaving each character –– and the audience –– to brace for the brutality of life and whatever fresh hell awaits them around every corner.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
The brutality of the Ukrainian frontline The challenges facing foreign volunteer fighters on the battlefield extend well beyond their legal label.
—Rebecca Johns, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
For a long time, the book was consider unadaptable due to its brutality.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutality
Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 8 Sep. 2025
More than a decade into the franchise, the sweeping romanticism of author Diana Gabaldon’s story is matched only by a constantly evolving definition of trauma, leaving each character –– and the audience –– to brace for the brutality of life and whatever fresh hell awaits them around every corner.
—Hunter Ingram, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
The brutality of the Ukrainian frontline The challenges facing foreign volunteer fighters on the battlefield extend well beyond their legal label.
—Rebecca Johns, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
For a long time, the book was consider unadaptable due to its brutality.
—Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutality
Noun
-
Vasquez was charged with second-degree cruelty to juveniles and negligent homicide.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
But that tale of someone brought into a world that treated him with cruelty and contempt never left him.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Likewise, young Waller proves a revelation, capable of communicating Danny’s vulnerability and brutishness on the turn of a dime.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Graphic videos of both atrocities spread quickly and widely online this week, appearing in people's social media feeds, often with little-to-no warning.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Critics have also pointed to the fact that Japanese educational syllabi have long glossed over wartime atrocities like the Nanjing Massacre.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Hope is something that Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri can related to, having explored the dualities of hope and despair (as well as lightness and darkness, and fluidity and animalism) in her spring 2023 collection.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
WWD,
22 Jan. 2025
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All of a sudden, that animalism has been incarnated.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2024
Noun
-
This strangeness causes all sorts of internal agitation, an uneasiness about humanity’s closeness to animality.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2025
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But also, something more intrinsic — something like her animality.—
Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutality. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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