brutalize

verb

bru·​tal·​ize ˈbrü-tᵊl-ˌīz 

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

ˌbrü-tᵊl-ə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Synonyms of brutalize

• humiliate
• dehumanize
• poison

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

Enslaved people were often punished, beaten, or further brutalized for showing emotion, grieving openly or resisting in visible ways. —Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026

Euthanasia decisions are already brutalizing for dog owners, and those decisions may become even more fraught. —Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026

Nikitin was drugged and brutalized by his captors in the Soviet psychiatric prisons. —David Folkenflik, NPR, 15 Apr. 2026

However, human rights groups say migrants are being brutalized and pushed back illegally at EU borders, while legal protections are increasingly being hollowed out. —Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from French brutaliser, going back to Middle French, from brutal brutal + -iser -ize

First Known Use

circa 1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for brutalize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies