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

Synonyms

• atrociousness
• atrocity
• barbarity
• barbarousness
• cruelness
• cruelty
• fiendishness
• heartlessness
• inhumanity
• inhumanness
• sadism
• savageness
• savagery
• truculence
• viciousness
• wantonness

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

Trump’s allusions to police brutality – the very thing demonstrators were protesting – only seemed to rile them and underscore what was at stake. —Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 24 May 2025

The jury has seen his brutality in the harrowing video at the InterContinental Hotel and photographs of her injuries. —Elizabeth Geddes, Rolling Stone, 23 May 2025

School and hospitals turned into torture chambers The RSF's occupation of Khartoum was defined by its brutality. —Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 16 May 2025

Characters succumb to the white violence, through brutality, voyeurism and mass consumption by Irish vampires looking to steal their talents under the guise of love. —Nia Shumake, Essence, 15 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin brūtālitāt-, brūtālitās, from brūtālis "brutish, bestial" + Latin -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at brutal

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for brutality

• banality
• bestiality
• carnality
• centrality
• chirality
• duality
• fatality
• finality
• formality
• frugality
• legality
• lethality

Kids 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