Synonyms of brutalized

brutalized

verb

past tense of brutalize

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

• humiliated
• dehumanized
• poisoned
• animalized
• bestialized
• degraded
• subverted
• depraved
• contaminated
• demeaned
• debauched
• polluted
• corrupted
• disgraced
• prostituted
• perverted
• abased
• humbled
• tainted
• warped
• profaned

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improved
• honored
• dignified
• amended
• exalted
• restored
• purified
• cleansed
• respected
• elevated
• uplifted
• ennobled

2

as in abused

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon

Red Cross workers reported that prisoners had been brutalized

Synonyms & Similar Words

• abused
• tortured
• bullied
• mistreated
• injured
• oppressed
• manhandled
• maltreated
• ill-treated
• misused
• persecuted
• violated
• hurt
• mishandled
• ill-used
• harassed
• tormented
• molested
• messed over
• outraged
• victimized
• harmed
• took apart
• wronged
• kicked around
• worked (over)
• burned
• beat (up)
• sandbagged
• roughed (up)
• messed (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fostered
• cherished
• nurtured
• cared (for)
• favored
• indulged
• spoiled
• gratified
• pampered
• coddled
• catered (to)
• humored
• babied
• mollycoddled

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of brutalized

Described as a biting political thriller in the tradition of Wild in the Streets and V for Vendetta, The Hunted is set in a dystopian America where trans people are brutalized and erased to the margins of society. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 20 June 2026

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