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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of brutalized
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
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
-
Sitting in class next to a star athlete destined for Division I football, the future comedy mogul listened as his teacher publicly humiliated him in front of his peers.—
Essence,
Essence,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Is he humiliated by being asked to leave surreptitiously for Olivia’s amusement, or is this a game for him too?—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As that installment blew up in fall 2024, a new generation of viewers discovered the Menendezes’ story, including their claims that their parents, whom they were convicted of killing, had abused them.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Epstein’s former girlfriend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 of helping lure teenage girls to be abused by him.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This is the cost of having been tortured in public.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Hoping to better understand the demand for smutty scares, Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville (Olivia Williams), spend an interminable evening at the theater surrounded by people throwing popcorn and making out while the topless woman onscreen is tortured and killed in a masked man’s dungeon.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Officials were previously awaiting toxicology results to determine whether the woman had been poisoned.—
Quinlan Bentley,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Oct. 2025
-
In March 2018, Ashley checked into a Florida hospital and alleged that Doug was abusive and poisoned her.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
After getting bullied in elementary school, his mom, the comic book writer Elaine Lee, homeschooled him.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
-
In fact, this whole jaunt to Flatbush has been a somewhat haunting trip down memory lane for Oliver, who has been having flashbacks of being bullied and judged for his little purple scarf and penchant for the arts.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalized. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share