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
But they were met with savage brutality, with as many as 30,000 souls murdered by their own government.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
The brutality of the murder, the sophistication of the planning and the fact that it was carried out by a group of teens from loving, mostly well-off families drew widespread attention to the case.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 27 Feb. 2026
But the sudden brutality of it is certainly shocking and resonates long after the unmasking.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
West Indians and Afro Panamanians also experienced police brutality.
—Brendan Frizzell, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutality
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 1 Mar. 2026
The brutality of the murder, the sophistication of the planning and the fact that it was carried out by a group of teens from loving, mostly well-off families drew widespread attention to the case.
—Sean Emery, Oc Register, 27 Feb. 2026
But the sudden brutality of it is certainly shocking and resonates long after the unmasking.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
West Indians and Afro Panamanians also experienced police brutality.
—Brendan Frizzell, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutality
Noun
-
Colin Gray was charged with multiple counts of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and cruelty to children.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Deliberate cruelty to animals is one of the clearest red flags.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But the brutishness has merely relocated, to places far more dangerous.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
-
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
-
Other works on paper from this period bear witness, in code, to the atrocities unfolding as Argentina’s civil society deteriorated, as well as that of its neighbors.—
Daniel R. Quiles,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Moviegoers weren’t discouraged to go to the movies despite the cartel atrocities earlier in the week in Mexico where the Neve Campbell movie did $3M at 870 cinemas, +34% over Scream VI, and record debut for series and YTD.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
1 Mar. 2026
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
-
All of a sudden, that animalism has been incarnated.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2024
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
Cite this Entry
“Brutality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutality. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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