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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of brutalized
But the women who were brutalized, and the community, deserve better.
—
Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
There isn’t much consistency to the rule, nor much logic to the fact that bystanders seem to turn a blind eye as the boys are continually brutalized.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
How about the Hollywood know-nothings Susan Sarandon or Mark Ruffalo, who have so much to say about the suffering of Hamas terrorists but not a peep for people being brutalized and murdered by actual terrorists?
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026
The series explores death in ways that are almost unique to commercial television, without losing sight of the audience’s need not to be needlessly brutalized.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 29 Dec. 2025
Brock Lesnar's Road to WrestleMania The Beast brutalized Cena this past Saturday night and defeated him with relative ease after hitting six consecutive F-5's.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Gabe Kidd brutalized Ospreay, targeting the neck which he was set to have surgery on.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2025
As her due date approached, she was brought to the infamous detention center Escuela de Mecánica de la Armada (Navy School of Mechanics), known as ESMA, where prisoners were brutalized.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
The Undertaker and Big Boss Man brutalized each other in a Hell in a Cell match.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 5 Aug. 2025
Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
There isn’t much consistency to the rule, nor much logic to the fact that bystanders seem to turn a blind eye as the boys are continually brutalized.
—Natalia Winkelman, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
How about the Hollywood know-nothings Susan Sarandon or Mark Ruffalo, who have so much to say about the suffering of Hamas terrorists but not a peep for people being brutalized and murdered by actual terrorists?
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026
The series explores death in ways that are almost unique to commercial television, without losing sight of the audience’s need not to be needlessly brutalized.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 29 Dec. 2025
Brock Lesnar's Road to WrestleMania The Beast brutalized Cena this past Saturday night and defeated him with relative ease after hitting six consecutive F-5's.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Gabe Kidd brutalized Ospreay, targeting the neck which he was set to have surgery on.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2025
As her due date approached, she was brought to the infamous detention center Escuela de Mecánica de la Armada (Navy School of Mechanics), known as ESMA, where prisoners were brutalized.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 8 Aug. 2025
The Undertaker and Big Boss Man brutalized each other in a Hell in a Cell match.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 5 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalized
Verb
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During the flight, she’s thoroughly humiliated when someone finds her audition tape for Survivor and displays it on his laptop for all to enjoy.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
-
My interrogator beat me, humiliated me, and repeatedly threatened to arrest my family and friends.—
Omid Memarian,
The Atlantic,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said Kayode Agbolade Ogunba allegedly abused patients at a local care home.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Others abused the hospitality, & winded up having to actually be evicted from the property.—
Cheyenne Derksen,
Oklahoman,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Our past, our lives, dehumanized into numbers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The guy’s ghosting of me also dehumanized him.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The regime imprisoned Nejati and reportedly tortured him.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
And so even people who were heroes of the nation, they were beaten, tortured, taken for reeducation.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors allege Richins poisoned her husband with a cocktail laced with illicit fentanyl while the couple was celebrating at their home in March 2022.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
In early 2025, Milwaukee discovered that lead paint had poisoned at least four students in its public schools.—
Hanna Rosin,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Despite their efforts to reunite her with her siblings on the lake, she was rejected and bullied, and eventually taken in by Marshall and his wife, PJ.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Taylor’s reinvention story has always been driven by a belief in her artistry and a refusal to be bullied or controlled by those with legal paper rights to her catalogue but no rights to her talent.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brutalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalized. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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