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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
Red Cross workers reported that prisoners had been brutalized
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutalize
Enslaved people were often punished, beaten, or further brutalized for showing emotion, grieving openly or resisting in visible ways.
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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.
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Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Nikitin was drugged and brutalized by his captors in the Soviet psychiatric prisons.
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David Folkenflik,
NPR,
15 Apr. 2026
Bakri is more brittle in Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher as Basem, a Palestinian teacher in the West Bank whose support for insurgents grows after his own son dies in prison and as Israeli settlers brutalize his neighborhood.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
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
Bakri is more brittle in Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher as Basem, a Palestinian teacher in the West Bank whose support for insurgents grows after his own son dies in prison and as Israeli settlers brutalize his neighborhood.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
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Israel must leave humiliated and defeated — and that is exactly what will happen.
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Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.
Verb
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One video advertises access to a longer clip of a boy toddler being abused for less than three dollars.
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Christina alleged that Joan physically and emotionally abused her and Christopher in her best-selling 1978 memoir, Mommie Dearest, which was adapted for the 1981 film that starred Faye Dunaway.
Verb
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Critics, however, accused lawmakers of dehumanizing migrants and weakening core protections.
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The author exposes its 'intellectual sleight of hand,' arguing this approach dehumanizes customers into metrics, risking Goodhart's Law and metric-gaming.
Verb
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This legislation helps our state meet current challenges and ensures bullying via AI is addressed in the school code.
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Muslim students continue to report the highest rates of bullying among religious groups in the country.
Verb
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Kara Zor-El (Alcock) goes on a planet-hopping mission to save her beloved Krypto – with young and vengeful girl Ruthye (Eve Ridley) in tow – after he’s poisoned by the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
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As a final comedic beat, Krypto immediately gets into some chocolate — a playful contrast to his earlier near-death experience after being poisoned by Krem.
Verb
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Platner is also an unfaithful spouse who mistreats women.
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One example would be laws prohibiting humans from mistreating AIs psychologically or physically.
Verb
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Your structure sorts the whole world into two boxes, oppressor and oppressed.
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In other words, if Jay-Z’s ascent becomes shorthand for Black progress, then the critique of the system that continues to oppress those at the margins starts to fade.
Verb
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Wayne County prosecutors allege that on June 17, Montgomery tortured and burned a raccoon at a home in the 12000 block of Washburn Street in Detroit and posted a video on social media of the animal being burned alive.
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In fact, the disease has been torturing humans for at least 5,500 years, according to a study published today in the journal Nature .
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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