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

• 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

The gang developed a reputation for torturing, brutalizing and dismembering its victims. —T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 12 June 2025

Kraft, who remains incarcerated at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, was convicted of brutalizing and killing 16 men during a decadelong series of slayings in Orange County, California, that ended with his arrest. —Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 10 May 2025

Victims who spoke out really were emotionally brutalized. —Pat Beall, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2025

Prosecutors say that behind the veil of his larger-than-life public persona, Combs was for years brutalizing vulnerable women with assistance from members of a criminal enterprise, who helped to keep his victims compliant and provoke fear in anyone perceived to threaten his power and control. —Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 16 June 2025

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
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize