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
The system that is now targeting and brutalizing immigrants of color has a long history of targeting and brutalizing Black, brown, and Indigenous communities across this country.
—
Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
Musk is a man who grew up under Apartheid in South Africa, where Black South Africans were brutalized for decades.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
Which ones brutalize a fan base, scarring them for generations?
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 19 June 2025
By contrast, Pacific Palisades, another area that was brutalized by fire, had already established an official record of its cultural heritage via SurveyLA, a historic resources survey conducted by the city.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
Musk is a man who grew up under Apartheid in South Africa, where Black South Africans were brutalized for decades.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
Which ones brutalize a fan base, scarring them for generations?
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 19 June 2025
By contrast, Pacific Palisades, another area that was brutalized by fire, had already established an official record of its cultural heritage via SurveyLA, a historic resources survey conducted by the city.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
-
Luthor’s ultimate defeat is an unmasking that humiliates him by confirming his own worst fears about himself.—
Matt Zoller Seitz,
Vulture,
16 July 2025
-
Coach Ruben Amorim publicly humiliated him before a loan move to Aston Villa for the final half of the campaign.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
Verb
-
Published in April, the Change Associates review found that a small number of employees continue to abuse their power at the corporation.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
-
His father, a livery man, didn’t understand him, and apparently abused him.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But for some, the consequences of AI signal a systemic, dehumanizing transformation, where generative systems mimic not just content, but the entire ecosystem: creator, reviewer, performer, promoter, consumer.—
Emil Steiner,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Of course, Hamas is wrong to dehumanize Palestinians by turning them into human shields, but this is no excuse for Israel to dehumanize Gazans, treating their plight merely as collateral damage.—
Michael S. Roth,
Time,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
McMillan is used to bullying significantly less talented and shorter corners in the college sphere.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Vulnerable and disabled people will be targeted and bullied into ending their lives.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But Trump has poisoned those relationships through his intemperate demands and threats.—
Steve Chapman,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Aug. 2025
-
The blue tinge of Garrett’s corpse’s finger signals that he was poisoned, though, and this led to the discovery that Garrett’s father had sent him to the Rave’N to poison the outcasts, only the poison vial cracked and leeched into his skin instead.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The filing points to other high-profile instances when CDCR employees were harassed, threatened and mistreated by other officers.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
4 Aug. 2025
-
However, an article in The Sunday Times has accused the king of mistreating gardeners employed by his charity, The King's Foundation, which manages the estate's gardens.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 July 2025
Verb
-
Ava Gardner was a mid-century bombshell as famous for her relationships with the likes of Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra as for her films, and by the late 1980s, when the play is set, her own star image seems to oppress her.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
8 Aug. 2025
-
So, the whole thing just seems naive from people who’ve been oppressed by this murderous regime for 46 years.—
Fiction Non Fiction
July 3,
Literary Hub,
3 July 2025
Verb
-
For more than three weeks, Halimi was held hostage and tortured.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Initially, Patricia had been kept blindfolded and tied to a chair in the same house where José was tortured.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share