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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutalize
Brewers reliever Trevor Megill took a pretty harsh stance on the new style of bats that were used to brutalize Milwaukee's pitching.
—
Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
The last time a Padres bullpen was brutalized like this over a five-game stretch was in 1977.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2025
Here in Los Angeles, as in much of coastal California where the roads and highways are broken and brutalized due to overpopulation, a plush airbag suspension paired with this punchy hybrid powertrain would serve well, very well indeed.
—Mark Ewing, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
Gunther even brutalized Jimmy while Jay was strapped to a ring rope, unable to assist his brother.
—Shaheem Reid, Variety, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
The last time a Padres bullpen was brutalized like this over a five-game stretch was in 1977.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2025
Here in Los Angeles, as in much of coastal California where the roads and highways are broken and brutalized due to overpopulation, a plush airbag suspension paired with this punchy hybrid powertrain would serve well, very well indeed.
—Mark Ewing, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025
Gunther even brutalized Jimmy while Jay was strapped to a ring rope, unable to assist his brother.
—Shaheem Reid, Variety, 19 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
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Miller sought to shield these women, her suit said, and as a result she was humiliated, harassed and ultimately forced out of her job by Spitzer and Nelson.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
20 June 2025
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As Howard begins to humiliate Matt, the camera follows all angles of the table, making sure to showcase everyone’s reactions.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
17 June 2025
Verb
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In the procedural drama, Rodríguez brings to life a multi-layered and solemn character shaped by a traumatic childhood — abused within the foster care system, with no knowledge of his origins, and struggling with severe dyslexia.—
Veronica Villafañe,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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Federal employees widely abused the Biden administration‘s telework policies, according to an inspector general report released by the Office of Personnel Management on Friday.—
Haisten Willis,
The Washington Examiner,
20 June 2025
Verb
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At a time of dehumanizing language and rampant violence against immigrants, Real Women steps up to its moment.—
Marjorie García,
Billboard,
26 June 2025
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The anti-immigrant agenda and the attack on federal workers are both designed to dehumanize, divide, and distract.—
Alissa Tafti,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Verb
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In the extreme, influencers are building social-media empires by bullying women into cutting calories and exercising for hours a day.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
25 June 2025
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One more user reminded viewers to learn from the online bullying fellow islander Huda Mustafa, a 24-year-old from Raleigh, North Carolina, faced earlier in the season.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Still, no amount of artistic success could heal the rift that had poisoned the group.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2025
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The press, like the government and the judiciary, is part of a system that’s poisoned from within.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Verb
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People who get mistreated have usually done something to bring it on themselves.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
20 June 2025
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As the noise pierced through the house day and night, keeping her children awake, Natalie was concerned about dogs possibly being mistreated nearby.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 June 2025
Verb
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Her performances quickly gain in popularity, and Seti becomes a star for a young generation that no longer wants to be oppressed by the regime.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
25 June 2025
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Its fight is with the regime, not with the Iranian people, who have been oppressed by the ayatollahs for almost half a century.—
Laurence Milstein,
Sun Sentinel,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Nicolás Maduro and his enforcers are running a criminal narco-terrorist dictatorship that jails political opponents, tortures dissidents, and crushes any hope of free expression.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2025
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An immigration judge determined that he would likely be persecuted or tortured if deported to Guatemala again, and granted him an order protecting him from removal.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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