1
as in to humiliate
to make (someone) feel or behave more like an animal than a human being
even three years in a prison camp did not brutalize him
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
Red Cross workers reported that prisoners had been brutalized
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutalize
That morning Laken was viciously attacked, assaulted, beaten, brutalized, and horrifically murdered.
—
CBS News, 5 Mar. 2025
That morning, Laken was viciously attacked, assaulted, beaten, brutalized, and horrifically murdered.
—Time Staff, TIME, 5 Mar. 2025
Our heroes first find the eponymous Tin Man, for example, imprisoned in a metal sarcophagus, forced to watch video clips of his family being brutalized for decades.
—Emma Stefansky, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2024
He was physically and mentally brutalized by a sociopathic father.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
CBS News, 5 Mar. 2025
That morning, Laken was viciously attacked, assaulted, beaten, brutalized, and horrifically murdered.
—Time Staff, TIME, 5 Mar. 2025
Our heroes first find the eponymous Tin Man, for example, imprisoned in a metal sarcophagus, forced to watch video clips of his family being brutalized for decades.
—Emma Stefansky, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2024
He was physically and mentally brutalized by a sociopathic father.
—Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
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Shawn reluctantly agrees, but is humiliated when Cory starts acting corny around his friend Gambling Dan (Phil Buckman), and his lackey, Louie (Weiss).—
EW.com,
EW.com,
16 Apr. 2025
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He must be seen standing up to foreign oppressors who seek to humiliate China and thwart its rightful rise.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Donald Trump is abusing the levers of government to launch an attack against New York Attorney General Tish James on what seem to be pretty flimsy claims of fraud.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2025
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The ways in which these attackers have abused Google’s email system clearly needs to be patched.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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These include new ways to promote beliefs and goals, gain support, dehumanize opponents, justify violence and create doubt or dismiss inconvenient facts.—
Ernesto Verdeja,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2025
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Voigt described feeling humiliated and dehumanized by the lack of care.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
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There have been 604 bullying and harassment cases, an average of 55 a year.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
25 Apr. 2025
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So, thank you for bullying me into getting surgical hair replacement.—
Joey Nolfi,
EW.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Morgan was previously married to Keith Whitley from 1986 to his alcohol poisoning death in 1989 at age 34.—
Rachel DeSantis,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
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Scores of sea lions and dolphins have been fatally poisoned in recent months by domoic acid, a neurotoxin produced by harmful algal blooms.—
Corinne Purtill,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Behind her glamorous exterior, the real Dorothy was a closeted lesbian who struggled with substance abuse and was mistreated by the men within Hollywood’s studio system before ultimately committing suicide.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
17 Apr. 2025
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English, who denies the allegations, is at least the second state legislator to be investigated for allegedly mistreating aides in the past year.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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According to the theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez, a contributor to the development of Latin American liberation theology, God does not remain neutral when people are oppressed, so neither should human leaders.—
Annmarie Caño,
The Conversation,
3 Apr. 2025
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Lopakhin and Varya are pushed together throughout the play, but poor Varya, also born working class, will never be able to break through the part of Lopakhin that still idolizes the very nobility that oppressed his family for generations.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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He was allegedly held in a clandestine detention site and tortured by intelligence agents.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2025
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The lowdown: Jeanty reminded me so much of LaDainian Tomlinson during my evaluation process, which is interesting now, considering how much L.T. used to torture the Raiders.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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