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
Relevance
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
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 brutalize
In New York, guards who brutalized prisoners or covered it up were rarely fired.
—
Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
Ayatollah Khamenei led a regime that brutalized its own people, launched attacks around the world for almost 40 years.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
Please join me in praying for US service members, our allies, and the innocent Iranian population that has been brutalized for decades.
—Twumasi Duah-Mensah, Charlotte Observer, 28 Feb. 2026
One of his stops was in Selma, Alabama, where, in 1965, state troopers and local police brutalized unarmed Black demonstrators.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
Ayatollah Khamenei led a regime that brutalized its own people, launched attacks around the world for almost 40 years.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
Please join me in praying for US service members, our allies, and the innocent Iranian population that has been brutalized for decades.
—Twumasi Duah-Mensah, Charlotte Observer, 28 Feb. 2026
One of his stops was in Selma, Alabama, where, in 1965, state troopers and local police brutalized unarmed Black demonstrators.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
-
And the President doesn’t seem to mind if Vance humiliates himself running errands.—
Amy Davidson Sorkin,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The series follows Sabrina (Ayres), who is humiliated and emotionally devastated after being betrayed by her boyfriend.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Federal Trade Commission, 18 states and Puerto Rico have accused the company of abusing its market position to inflate prices on other online retail platforms, overcharge sellers and stifle competition.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The foster parents and their adult daughter pleaded guilty to abusing children in their care.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The scrutiny of fame has always been dehumanizing, though the ubiquity of the modern-day comment section has surely accelerated and exaggerated its cruelty.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The Coalition for the Homeless says the city's unhoused are often dehumanized and criminalized.—
Jennifer Bisram,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
On an afternoon Brandt Clarke, Adrian Kempe and Drew Doughty took turns trying to bully the Avalanche, Colorado reached around and gave the Kings a Wedgie.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
-
People just want to bully and get the likes and say the rage bait comment.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The young woman who sojourned to Oberlin College, where she was wrongfully accused of poisoning her classmates and beaten half to death, who raised her hands in defense of herself, then went on to grip clay and rock and chisel to re-create visions of justice.—
Tyehimba Jess,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
This same legacy may also poison international attitudes toward his country.—
Ian Bremmer,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Last year, a Dane County judge appointed a special prosecutor to investigate Ridglan Farms after former employees testified that dogs were being mistreated, including having eye surgeries performed on them without general anesthesia.—
Quinn Clark,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, tax collector Tina Koren is facing criminal charges for allegedly using her role to harass and mistreat her neighbors, officials said Wednesday.—
Terra Sullivan,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Much of progressive ideological frameworks tend to divide the world into oppressors and oppressed.—
Arie Perliger,
The Conversation,
18 Mar. 2026
-
For 47 years, Iranians have been subject to a regime that seeks to divide them, isolate them, oppress them, torture them and dispose of them.—
Talla Mountjoy,
Twin Cities,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
As the governments of US and Iran try to negotiate a peace deal, many Iranians are still being arrested, tortured and executed, according to rights groups.—
Dana Karni,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In December 2019, an immigration judge granted Rivera Ortega protection under the Convention Against Torture, a United Nations treaty designed to protect people who could be tortured if deported.—
Camilo Montoya-Galvez,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
