1
as in humiliated
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 abused
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 brutalized
Family Photo The family had fled the Congo after Carine, an activist, was brutalized for speaking out against the ruling regime.
—
Jim Axelrod, CBS News, 31 May 2026
The Original brutalized El Grande Americano II back inside the ring.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Enslaved people were often punished, beaten, or further brutalized for showing emotion, grieving openly or resisting in visible ways.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
Nikitin was drugged and brutalized by his captors in the Soviet psychiatric prisons.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 15 Apr. 2026
However, human rights groups say migrants are being brutalized and pushed back illegally at EU borders, while legal protections are increasingly being hollowed out.
—Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
At night, Yusuf goes back to his village, where his family is regularly brutalized by the local authorities, led by the snarling protomillenarian Captain Wingate (played by Robert Aramayo, whom some will recognize as the young actor who scored an upset win at the BAFTAs last month for I Swear).
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Yes, that same night, beyond the hallowed walls of Prescott’s, people all across New York were being brutalized by HIV, falling dead from AIDS.
—Literary Hub, 17 Mar. 2026
In New York, guards who brutalized prisoners or covered it up were rarely fired.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
Jim Axelrod, CBS News, 31 May 2026
The Original brutalized El Grande Americano II back inside the ring.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Enslaved people were often punished, beaten, or further brutalized for showing emotion, grieving openly or resisting in visible ways.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
Nikitin was drugged and brutalized by his captors in the Soviet psychiatric prisons.
—David Folkenflik, NPR, 15 Apr. 2026
However, human rights groups say migrants are being brutalized and pushed back illegally at EU borders, while legal protections are increasingly being hollowed out.
—Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
At night, Yusuf goes back to his village, where his family is regularly brutalized by the local authorities, led by the snarling protomillenarian Captain Wingate (played by Robert Aramayo, whom some will recognize as the young actor who scored an upset win at the BAFTAs last month for I Swear).
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Yes, that same night, beyond the hallowed walls of Prescott’s, people all across New York were being brutalized by HIV, falling dead from AIDS.
—Literary Hub, 17 Mar. 2026
In New York, guards who brutalized prisoners or covered it up were rarely fired.
—Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalized
Verb
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In the ongoing fight for women’s equal rights, Pawol had proved a female baseball umpire can be second-guessed, proved wrong and humiliated by technology and mocked by howling fans on social media just like a man can.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 June 2026
-
Villanova humiliated UConn, winning 81-61, after building out a 31-point lead.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
26 May 2026
Verb
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The fake news, like CNN, like The New York Times, and like others, have abused our people, have abused our people so badly.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
3 June 2026
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At least 10 women have alleged that Epstein groomed or abused them at the 10,000-acre ranch starting in the mid-1990s, an NBC News review of court testimony, lawsuits and other records found.—
Jon Schuppe,
NBC news,
1 June 2026
Verb
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The Coalition for the Homeless says the city's unhoused are often dehumanized and criminalized.—
Jennifer Bisram,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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In a world that often feels fragmented and dehumanized, reclaiming this universality is an ethical act.—
Ed Meza,
Variety,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Armand tortured and planned to drain Daniel, but Louis stepped in to save him.—
Tiffany Kelly,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 June 2026
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The story of Alabama's congressional map is long and tortured.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
2 June 2026
Verb
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He was buried alive on a construction site and then poisoned by a venomous rattlesnake that crawled into his coffin and attacked him.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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Just months after Netflix announced its plans to produce the series, Lin was poisoned and killed at age 39.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Verb
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And yet, the complex plot comes down to the bond between Albus and Scorpius, who are living in their fathers’ shadows, bullied and uncertain of themselves, as their connections with their dads falter.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
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In a country like India, subjugated early in the history of capitalist imperialism, and then bullied after independence by the West, a degree of self-renunciation and collective sacrifice was widely understood to be requisite to economic and political self-strengthening.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brutalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalized. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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