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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutalize
Enslaved people were often punished, beaten, or further brutalized for showing emotion, grieving openly or resisting in visible ways.
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Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Euthanasia decisions are already brutalizing for dog owners, and those decisions may become even more fraught.
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Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Nikitin was drugged and brutalized by his captors in the Soviet psychiatric prisons.
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David Folkenflik,
NPR,
15 Apr. 2026
Bakri is more brittle in Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher as Basem, a Palestinian teacher in the West Bank whose support for insurgents grows after his own son dies in prison and as Israeli settlers brutalize his neighborhood.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Euthanasia decisions are already brutalizing for dog owners, and those decisions may become even more fraught.
—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Nikitin was drugged and brutalized by his captors in the Soviet psychiatric prisons.
—
David Folkenflik,
NPR,
15 Apr. 2026
Bakri is more brittle in Farah Nabulsi’s The Teacher as Basem, a Palestinian teacher in the West Bank whose support for insurgents grows after his own son dies in prison and as Israeli settlers brutalize his neighborhood.
—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
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Only the United States was humiliated; both countries have experienced a catastrophic loss.
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However, they were then humiliated 2-1, after extra time, by second division side Torreense in the final.
Verb
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One video advertises access to a longer clip of a boy toddler being abused for less than three dollars.
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Christina alleged that Joan physically and emotionally abused her and Christopher in her best-selling 1978 memoir, Mommie Dearest, which was adapted for the 1981 film that starred Faye Dunaway.
Verb
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Critics, however, accused lawmakers of dehumanizing migrants and weakening core protections.
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The author exposes its 'intellectual sleight of hand,' arguing this approach dehumanizes customers into metrics, risking Goodhart's Law and metric-gaming.
Verb
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Bonnie's new device Lilypad initially causes problems with this, leading her to be brutally bullied in a group chat and shamed into rejecting her toys.
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Williams called Valkyries fans bullies in an Instagram Live stream earlier this week, and by Friday night, Chase Center had the receipts.
Verb
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The summer blockbuster, which premieres June 26, will follow Supergirl's three-day mission to obtain a cure for her superdog and friend, Krypto, who is poisoned by villainous alien Krem of the Yellow Hills (Matthias Schoenaerts).
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Last year, harmful algae blooming off Southern California poisoned hundreds of dolphins and sea lions off Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, causing strandings along popular beaches.
Verb
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One example would be laws prohibiting humans from mistreating AIs psychologically or physically.
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Weyland-Yutani is a sort of extreme example of what economists call a monopsony — when one employer dominates a labor market and gains power to underpay and mistreat workers.
Verb
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Your structure sorts the whole world into two boxes, oppressor and oppressed.
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In other words, if Jay-Z’s ascent becomes shorthand for Black progress, then the critique of the system that continues to oppress those at the margins starts to fade.
Verb
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Wayne County prosecutors allege that on June 17, Montgomery tortured and burned a raccoon at a home in the 12000 block of Washburn Street in Detroit and posted a video on social media of the animal being burned alive.
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In fact, the disease has been torturing humans for at least 5,500 years, according to a study published today in the journal Nature .
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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