brutality

noun

brü-ˈta-lə-tē How to pronounce brutality (audio)
Definition of brutalitynext
1
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others the police were accused of brutality for using excessive force in making arrests

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brutishness
the manifestation of the traits or the gratification of the appetites of a lower animal the disconcerting ease with which the people adopted the brutality of the enemy invaders

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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 brutality Darnella Frazier, 17, took out her phone and recorded the brutality. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026 At the same time, the recent, deadly brutality of the agency and its partners has led, according to some polls, to strong support for such a policy; those espousing the slogan have included Bill Kristol, the neocon anti-Trump writer. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 Viral videos of the police brutality on Instagram and YouTube swelled the crowds even further and transformed the protest site into a zone of occupation with the energy of a carnival. — Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026 Nixon administration played hardball Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon, for example, attacked coverage of police brutality at the 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention as one-sided in favor of antiwar protestors. — Heather Hendershot, The Conversation, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for brutality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutality
  1. cruelty
  2. brutishness
  3. atrocity
  4. animalism
  5. animality
Noun
  • So far, more than 100 officers have completed training on recognizing animal cruelty and collecting evidence, and have been equipped with referrals to resources if no cruelty is found.
    — Julie Sharp, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • As Rhaenyra slowly descends into a pit of despair, cruelty and desperation, Daemon and his armies run into some snags on their assault of Tumbleton thanks to the various tricks Lord Ormund has up his sleeves.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of cruelty
Noun
  • Generations of agents, therefore, have had to walk a line between bookishness and brutishness.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
  • But the brutishness has merely relocated, to places far more dangerous.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Definition of brutishness
Noun
  • More than 120,000 of these atrocities are operating in the United States today — and that number is rapidly growing.
    — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The Disappearers is, among other things, one novel responding to many atrocities.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of atrocity
Noun
  • Hope is something that Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri can related to, having explored the dualities of hope and despair (as well as lightness and darkness, and fluidity and animalism) in her spring 2023 collection.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 22 Jan. 2025
  • But what Cameron represents to Harper is unfettered animalism, and that’s part of what’s missing in her relationship with Ethan.
    — Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 12 Dec. 2022
Definition of animalism
Noun
  • In other words, humans can act against the animal component of their nature and manifest their humanity by rejecting their animality.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Nov. 2025
  • This strangeness causes all sorts of internal agitation, an uneasiness about humanity’s closeness to animality.
    — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 16 Feb. 2025
Definition of animality

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brutal
brutality
brutalize
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Cite this Entry

“Brutality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutality. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of brutality for Spanish Speakers

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