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
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
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
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
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
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The Rockies have been humiliated before in their first home game, but never as badly as this.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
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The leadership of the country that has threatened the stability and prosperity of the world will eventually be ousted, disempowered and humiliated.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In his Easter homily, the pope singled out those who wage war, abuse the weak and prioritize profits.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
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Administrator Crystal Ruth switches on dozens of heat lamps that radiate a yellow hue to warm at least 80 disabled, abandoned or formerly abused animals that call the rescue home.—
Julian Camejo,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Coalition for the Homeless says the city's unhoused are often dehumanized and criminalized.—
Jennifer Bisram,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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In a world that often feels fragmented and dehumanized, reclaiming this universality is an ethical act.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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When these kids finally managed to attend classes, they were beaten and bullied by classmates.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Pitchfork,
4 Apr. 2026
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Hernandez was emphatic that nobody in her family bullied Rabell, who prior to landing at Hernandez’s home had been a client of DCF’s Adult Protective Services program.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Harold had been given a root beer float, poisoned with ethylene glycol purchased by Ashley, as those damning text messages showed.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
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But Antonelli also questioned reports the two had been deliberately poisoned.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Since his release, Hernandez has claimed he was severely mistreated at the maximum security detention center.—
Carlos De Loera,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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People created memes and videos mocking Roan for mistreating children.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Much of progressive ideological frameworks tend to divide the world into oppressors and oppressed.—
Arie Perliger,
The Conversation,
18 Mar. 2026
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For 47 years, Iranians have been subject to a regime that seeks to divide them, isolate them, oppress them, torture them and dispose of them.—
Talla Mountjoy,
Twin Cities,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Countless thousands were displaced, tortured and killed, but what became of Gerson and Inlender’s ancestors?—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
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The house of another, Carlotta Walls, was bombed a month before her graduation, and the police subsequently tortured her father in an unsuccessful attempt to coerce a confession.—
Daniel Felsenthal,
Pitchfork,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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