1
as in to humiliate
to make (someone) feel or behave more like an animal than a human being
even three years in a prison camp did not brutalize him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
Red Cross workers reported that prisoners had been brutalized
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brutalize
Guards, many of them teenage cadets from police academies, are reportedly ordered to humiliate and brutalize detainees, some barely older than themselves.
—
Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 20 May 2025
Then there’s Danaher, the worst of all, which has been brutalized by a lack of Chinese biotech offerings.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
Brewers reliever Trevor Megill took a pretty harsh stance on the new style of bats that were used to brutalize Milwaukee's pitching.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
The last time a Padres bullpen was brutalized like this over a five-game stretch was in 1977.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 20 May 2025
Then there’s Danaher, the worst of all, which has been brutalized by a lack of Chinese biotech offerings.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
Brewers reliever Trevor Megill took a pretty harsh stance on the new style of bats that were used to brutalize Milwaukee's pitching.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
The last time a Padres bullpen was brutalized like this over a five-game stretch was in 1977.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
-
Then two of his classmates did something magical. 'And I was humiliated again' The story Griffin started to tell began in first grade just after his family moved from one part of his suburban New York town to another, and Griffin was the new kid in school.—
Brad Schmitt,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
-
Why risk thousands of dollars to be humiliated and possibly denied entry?—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
Verb
-
Overstreet received a $2,700 check from the Ocala Police Department for his nonprofit in 2022, during the same timeframe when he was accused of abusing the teen girl, records show.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
14 July 2025
-
Under our nation's laws, our government has the authority to revoke your green card if our laws are broken and abused.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 July 2025
Verb
-
They are dehumanized, and they're stripped away from their rights.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 July 2025
-
In other words, one of the two travelers was seen as a human being with rights to live freely and make their own decisions, to be treated with dignity and care; the other was either infantilized at best or completely dehumanized.—
Nuri Kino,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Verb
-
Well, in Alva’s case, in the months after her very public divorce, the New York Times society column straight up bullied her by writing stories about all the super fun parties and balls her sister-in-law Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt threw while Alva was in exile.—
Alexis Nedd,
IndieWire,
2 July 2025
-
For years, Griffin never talked about being bullied as a child.—
Brad Schmitt,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
Prior to foreign hunters visiting Uruguay and providing a financial incentive to keep the birds’ populations healthy, ducks were often poisoned en masse because they were seen as little more than crop raiders.—
Chris Dorsey,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
Has sports gambling poisoned the relationship between athletes and fans?—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Therefore, in the face of employer abuse, one of the few remaining remedies available to mistreated workers is facing the terrifying prospect of striking in defense of their rights.—
Nick Gauthier,
Hartford Courant,
7 July 2025
-
Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been sued for the third time in two years by former employees accusing the VUMC chief medical officer of mistreating them.—
Evan Mealins,
The Tennessean,
2 July 2025
Verb
-
The heat dome that oppressed much of Europe has broken.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 July 2025
-
Her performances quickly gain in popularity, and Seti becomes a star for a young generation that no longer wants to be oppressed by the regime.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
Jon Burge extracted a false confession from Wilson by beating him and torturing him with electrical shocks, according to Wilson’s lawsuit.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
10 July 2025
-
Some were arrested, some allegedly tortured, others beaten up, even killed, according to Azeri media.—
Melik Kaylan,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share