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

Ayatollah Khamenei led a regime that brutalized its own people, launched attacks around the world for almost 40 years. —ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026

Please join me in praying for US service members, our allies, and the innocent Iranian population that has been brutalized for decades. —Twumasi Duah-Mensah, Charlotte Observer, 28 Feb. 2026

One of his stops was in Selma, Alabama, where, in 1965, state troopers and local police brutalized unarmed Black demonstrators. —John Cassidy, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026

This week, as Connecticut residents remain priced out of basic necessities and watch their own government brutalize civilians in the streets, Congress is finally ready to take action — by asking you for $5,000. —State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, Hartford Courant, 10 Feb. 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
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize