brutalize

verb

ˈbrü-tᵊl-ˌīz How to pronounce brutalize (audio)
Definition of brutalizenext
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

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brutalize Family Photo The family had fled the Congo after Carine, an activist, was brutalized for speaking out against the ruling regime. — Jim Axelrod, CBS News, 31 May 2026 The Original brutalized El Grande Americano II back inside the ring. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026 While Roger Federer is depicted as James Bond, in a tux, elegant and wrinkle-free, Nadal is called Rambo, ripped and relentless, brutalizing the ball and opponents alike. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026 Taxpayers are beholden to the two-party system, a system that steals from and brutalizes working-class people to serve the billionaires. — Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 5 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
  1. humiliate
  2. abuse
  3. dehumanize
  4. bully
  5. poison
  6. mistreat
  7. oppress
  8. torture
Verb
  • In their first national title game, the Wildcats humiliated Oklahoma in the national semifinal by 44, and in their second, demoralized Michigan in the title game by 17.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2026
  • After being publicly humiliated by Daemon Targaryen and lured to switch sides (with his dragon) to the Greens by Ormund Hightower, party animal Ulf is still drunk and MIA when the battle starts.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of humiliate
Verb
  • Jarrett, the elder brother, was eventually taken in by a man who later abused him, a victimizer who then set his sights on Baylon.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Market power can be abused, and a transaction involving companies this significant deserves careful regulatory scrutiny.
    — Cory Jacobson, HollywoodReporter, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of abuse
Verb
  • The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan five years ago ushered in an era of dehumanizing restrictions for women and girls.
    — Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2026
  • LeFlouria tells the story from the perspectives of a number of Black women through history, centering the specific humanity of victims of a system that seeks to dehumanize.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of dehumanize
Verb
  • Trump has all but severed America’s system of alliances, mocked and bullied Ukraine’s president, and showered praise upon Kim Jong Un.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Bullying and assault allegations In 2018, according to court documents, while still in elementary school, Austin Metcalf and his brother were accused of bullying and assaulting a female, which led to Austin Metcalf's arrest.
    — J.D. Miles, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of bully
Verb
  • Trump is also poisoning the process at a moment when the system for casting votes in the United States really does need shoring up.
    — Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • An unknown person has been poisoning mature pine trees at Burnt Cedar Beach in Incline Village since 2022, with 16 more trees targeted this July and August — a case some suspect involves a wealthy resident trying to improve their view of Lake Tahoe.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of poison
Verb
  • Riddle says misdiagnosing and mistreating postpartum psychosis can have adverse effects on patients.
    — Louisa Moller, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The lawsuit isn’t the first to accuse Ye of mistreating a fellow musician.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of mistreat
Verb
  • And women, being oppressed in that way in that realm, have been able nonetheless to engage with the more emotional maturity.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Claiming that other people expressing their civil rights is oppressing them, and politicizing what are supposed to be non-partisan parts of how the government works on the state and federal level.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
Definition of oppress
Verb
  • The Assad regime fell in 2024, but the bodies of Khalil’s two friends were never recovered; their families assumed that they had been tortured, killed, and buried in a mass grave.
    — Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • One of Nader’s grandsons, Shah Rukh, was tortured by a greedy court eunuch named Agha Muhammad to force him to reveal the location of the invaluable diamond.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of torture

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Cite this Entry

“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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