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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutality
Berserk is a beautiful but dark franchise, a series defined as much by Miura’s indelible designs as by the twisted brutality its characters must overcome.
—
Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Leone’s creation has gained a substantial cult following thanks to its throwback grindhouse aesthetics, nauseating practical effects, and unapologetic brutality.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Despite a complete media and communications blackout, making specifics hard to determine, videos trickled out of El Fasher showing the brutality being unleashed on the civilian population.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025
Prosecutors, however, say the brutality of the killings warrant jurors sending Dennis back to Death Row.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutality
Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
Leone’s creation has gained a substantial cult following thanks to its throwback grindhouse aesthetics, nauseating practical effects, and unapologetic brutality.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Despite a complete media and communications blackout, making specifics hard to determine, videos trickled out of El Fasher showing the brutality being unleashed on the civilian population.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025
Prosecutors, however, say the brutality of the killings warrant jurors sending Dennis back to Death Row.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutality
Noun
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The film instead offers an intimate, unhurried exploration of human cruelty.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
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Politically, both parties are trading blame—Republicans citing fiscal law, Democrats accusing the administration of cruelty—while the court’s decision could set a lasting precedent for how federal agencies manage safety-net programs during funding lapses.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Likewise, young Waller proves a revelation, capable of communicating Danny’s vulnerability and brutishness on the turn of a dime.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Satellite images analyzed by the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health and verified by CNN show clear evidence of the atrocities in El Fasher.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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Whether the atrocities of the RSF and SAF are comparable is an open question.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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All of a sudden, that animalism has been incarnated.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2024
Noun
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This strangeness causes all sorts of internal agitation, an uneasiness about humanity’s closeness to animality.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2025
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But also, something more intrinsic — something like her animality.—
Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutality. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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