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
Relevance
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutalized
Ayatollah Khamenei led a regime that brutalized its own people, launched attacks around the world for almost 40 years.
—
ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
Please join me in praying for US service members, our allies, and the innocent Iranian population that has been brutalized for decades.
—Twumasi Duah-Mensah, Charlotte Observer, 28 Feb. 2026
One of his stops was in Selma, Alabama, where, in 1965, state troopers and local police brutalized unarmed Black demonstrators.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee has been arrested and charged in the murder of his girlfriend, who was found brutalized at a home in Tennessee on Thursday before succumbing to her injuries.
—Jami Ganz, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
Former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee has been arrested and charged in the murder of his girlfriend, who was found brutalized at a home in Tennessee on Thursday before succumbing to her injuries.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
The Great Migration gave Black Americans a chance to start over without being brutalized for the pursuit of knowledge, liberation and self-expression, and the amount of talent and history in the room is staggering.
—Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
American citizens have been brutalized, pepper-sprayed, and killed on the streets of Minneapolis.
—Aziz Huq, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
But the women who were brutalized, and the community, deserve better.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
Please join me in praying for US service members, our allies, and the innocent Iranian population that has been brutalized for decades.
—Twumasi Duah-Mensah, Charlotte Observer, 28 Feb. 2026
One of his stops was in Selma, Alabama, where, in 1965, state troopers and local police brutalized unarmed Black demonstrators.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
Former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee has been arrested and charged in the murder of his girlfriend, who was found brutalized at a home in Tennessee on Thursday before succumbing to her injuries.
—Jami Ganz, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
Former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee has been arrested and charged in the murder of his girlfriend, who was found brutalized at a home in Tennessee on Thursday before succumbing to her injuries.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
The Great Migration gave Black Americans a chance to start over without being brutalized for the pursuit of knowledge, liberation and self-expression, and the amount of talent and history in the room is staggering.
—Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
American citizens have been brutalized, pepper-sprayed, and killed on the streets of Minneapolis.
—Aziz Huq, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
But the women who were brutalized, and the community, deserve better.
—Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalized
Verb
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Iran’s two major adversaries have thoroughly humiliated it; the regime was not able to hide its reclusive leader for even a few hours.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
1 Mar. 2026
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Most casual fans could spend their entire lives studying a library’s worth of chess theory, only to still be routinely humiliated by competitive players.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The complaint alleges that the late singer abused the four siblings at international and national tour stops as well as at his Santa Barbara County estate, Neverland Ranch.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2026
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During the investigation, multiple other individuals reported that Joachim had abused them in the late 1990s and early 2000s.—
Michael Cuviello,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Our past, our lives, dehumanized into numbers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
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The guy’s ghosting of me also dehumanized him.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Experts see positive trends Despite California’s long and tortured history with auto insurance, rates in the state remain below the national average.—
Kevinisha Walker,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
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One of them was a person whose eight-month-old baby was tortured in front of his eyes.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Other witnesses could include relatives of the defendant and her late husband, and friends of Eric Richins who have recounted phone conversations from the day prosecutors say he was first poisoned by his wife of nine years.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
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Turns out, Chris lied about touching a stone mid-play and has quietly poisoned every victory and memory the team has enjoyed since.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Do not procrastinate — and do not be bullied, either by your spouse or your attorney!—
Terry Savage,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
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Similarly, the defense insists, Oak View Group wasn’t bullied but instead pursued opportunities for collaboration.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brutalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalized. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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