1
as in harsh
difficult to endure
brutal hard labor in the hot sun
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cruel
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
a brutal tyrant who drove his country to revolt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brute
having or showing the nature and appetites of a lower animal
a coarse, brutal man who has no sense of what it means to be refined or sensitive or cultured
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutal
In desert regions, where the daytime heat is brutal, Johnson often chooses to skate at night — something she’s grown to love.
—
Jordan Greene, People.com, 27 June 2025
December is a brutal month for the Dolphins with games at the New York Jets (Dec. 7), at Pittsburgh (Dec. 15), against Cincinnati (Dec. 21) and against Tampa Bay (Dec. 28).
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 27 June 2025
One that may look fine on paper but feels brutal in practice.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
The Yankees’ brutal offensive malaise stretched past a point anybody could have foreseen with a 1-0, 11-inning loss Monday night.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutal
Jordan Greene, People.com, 27 June 2025
December is a brutal month for the Dolphins with games at the New York Jets (Dec. 7), at Pittsburgh (Dec. 15), against Cincinnati (Dec. 21) and against Tampa Bay (Dec. 28).
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 27 June 2025
One that may look fine on paper but feels brutal in practice.
—Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
The Yankees’ brutal offensive malaise stretched past a point anybody could have foreseen with a 1-0, 11-inning loss Monday night.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutal
Adjective
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Come spring, the Ranger III carries everything from outhouses and diesel fuel for the generators to construction supplies to repair whatever damage Mother Nature did to facilities over the harsh winter.—
Diana Lambdin Meyer,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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Yet the harshest critic is often the one in the mirror.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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What is a totalitarian leader other than an individualist taking that creed to its cruel conclusions, erasing the uniqueness of every other person into mere characters in a drama?—
Ed Simon
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
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That first leg ended 1-0 — a slim aggregate lead — and in the second leg back on Kiwi soil, the Australians won 2-0 with one of their goals a cruel deflection.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
Adjective
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Plymouth’s two-door brute was built from 1964 to 1974, and within that decade, saw three generations.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
20 June 2025
-
The events on the ground maintain the basic, brute pleasures of the initial premise.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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Even these young players already have major tournament experience — a huge strength given their tough group.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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Nor is anything that tough necessary to prevent chronic illness.—
Carolyn Rosenblatt,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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This approach costs three times more than housing people and creates a vicious cycle — incarceration increases homelessness risk by destroying community connections and employment prospects.—
Mahdi E Diab,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 June 2025
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Of course, no conversation about Yellowjackets season 3 would be complete without a deep dive into Shauna's vicious throw down with Swank's Melissa — during which Shauna rips a chunk of flesh off Melissa's arm with her teeth and forces her to eat it.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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For those still experiencing the oppressive heat, here are some tips for how to find your own bit of relief.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
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The oppressive heat and humidity, which have brought triple-digit temperatures across the Midwest and East Coast in recent weeks, have caused the pavement to buckle on roads in a number of states.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
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As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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Pritzker’s speech, which occurred as national Democrats were largely leaderless in countering and criticizing Trump’s early chaotic presidential moves, aimed to fill the vacuum and garnered significant attention by offering a searing response to the president for a national audience.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
24 June 2025
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And first baseman Colby Thorndyke comes in with a searing swing.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutal. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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