Synonyms of brutal

brutal

adjective

ˈbrü-tᵊl 

1

as in harsh

difficult to endure

brutal hard labor in the hot sun

Synonyms & Similar Words

• harsh
• tough
• oppressive
• searing
• rough
• hard
• severe
• cruel
• grim
• painful
• murderous
• inhuman
• trying
• heavy
• excruciating
• rugged
• bleak
• bitter
• onerous
• burdensome
• grievous
• stiff
• unbearable
• uncomfortable
• unpleasant
• strict
• rigorous
• inhospitable
• hardhanded
• bad
• austere
• spartan
• overwhelming
• discomforting
• agonizing
• stringent
• forbidding
• crushing
• inclement
• intemperate
• biting
• wild
• harrowing
• tortuous
• heartbreaking
• comfortless
• intolerable
• wretched
• hostile
• insufferable
• unendurable
• grinding
• heartrending
• disagreeable
• unfriendly
• insupportable
• wearing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• light
• soft
• comfortable
• pleasant
• luxurious
• friendly
• cozy
• agreeable
• peaceful
• genial
• hospitable
• mild
• gentle
• restful
• relaxing
• tolerable
• moderate
• bearable
• painless
• calm
• snug
• temperate
• balmy
• endurable
• reposeful
• clement

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

• cruel
• vicious
• savage
• ruthless
• merciless
• ferocious
• sadistic
• murderous
• barbaric
• inhuman
• barbarous
• inhumane
• brute
• atrocious
• heartless
• oppressive
• harsh
• fiendish
• truculent
• hateful
• pitiless
• butcherly
• malicious
• grim
• wanton
• red in tooth and claw
• fell
• bloodthirsty
• unfeeling
• sanguinary
• cutthroat
• vindictive
• malignant
• spiteful
• malevolent
• draconian
• hard-hearted
• nasty
• malign
• sanguine
• ironhearted
• mean
• stonyhearted
• catty
• heavy-handed
• despiteful
• draconic
• hardhanded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sympathetic
• benign
• kind
• humane
• compassionate
• warm
• merciful
• lenient
• tender
• charitable
• kindhearted
• benignant
• good-hearted
• tenderhearted
• peaceful
• pitying
• peaceable
• warmhearted
• pacific
• clement

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• brute
• feral
• brutish
• cruel
• savage
• bestial
• vicious
• animalistic
• beastly
• animal
• subhuman
• physical
• sensual
• swinish
• coarse
• ferine
• sadistic
• crass
• rude
• barbaric
• barbarous
• inhumane
• corporeal
• corporal
• heartless
• vulgar
• carnal
• bodily
• gross
• crude
• uncouth
• fleshly
• uncultured
• wanton
• unrefined
• uncultivated
• lowbred
• ill-bred

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• great
• sublime
• high
• noble
• chivalrous
• lofty
• magnanimous
• gallant
• elevated
• spiritual
• angelic
• kind
• lordly
• benevolent
• compassionate
• high-minded
• beneficent
• kindly
• greathearted
• polished
• genteel
• refined
• cultured
• cultivated
• kindhearted
• benignant
• softhearted
• good-hearted
• tenderhearted
• well-bred

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective brutal differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of brutal are bestial, brutish, and feral. While all these words mean "characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct," brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity.

a senseless and brutal war

When would bestial be a good substitute for brutal?

The words bestial and brutal are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

In what contexts can brutish take the place of brutal?

The words brutish and brutal can be used in similar contexts, but brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

When is feral a more appropriate choice than brutal?

Although the words feral and brutal have much in common, feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals.

the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of brutal

The Wolfpack went 2-7 in the regular season against a brutal schedule, but Reid Hites healed and returned to lead them on a three-game winning streak and Prep Bowl victory over Morgan Park. — Mike McGraw, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026

Nazi counterintelligence was so brutal that the Germans couldn’t imagine enemy soldiers would want to get captured on purpose. — Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026

In response to the brutal Algerian War of Independence from French colonial rule (1954–62), Adnan famously stopped writing in French in solidarity, opting instead to write in English and to paint in Arabic. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

California remains a brutal state for the working class and poor. — Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026