Synonyms of brutalizing

brutalizing

verb

present participle of brutalize

1

as in dehumanizing

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

• dehumanizing
• humiliating
• poisoning
• degrading
• subverting
• animalizing
• bestializing
• debauching
• polluting
• corrupting
• contaminating
• demeaning
• depraving
• prostituting
• disgracing
• abasing
• perverting
• warping
• profaning
• humbling
• tainting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• improving
• honoring
• amending
• exalting
• restoring
• respecting
• dignifying
• purifying
• cleansing
• elevating
• uplifting
• ennobling

2

as in abusing

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon

Red Cross workers reported that prisoners had been brutalized

Synonyms & Similar Words

• abusing
• torturing
• bullying
• mistreating
• oppressing
• manhandling
• injuring
• maltreating
• misusing
• ill-treating
• persecuting
• violating
• hurting
• taking apart
• mishandling
• harassing
• tormenting
• ill-using
• molesting
• messing over
• outraging
• harming
• victimizing
• kicking around
• wronging
• working (over)
• beating (up)
• sandbagging
• burning
• roughing (up)
• messing (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fostering
• nurturing
• cherishing
• caring (for)
• gratifying
• favoring
• indulging
• spoiling
• coddling
• humoring
• catering (to)
• pampering
• babying
• mollycoddling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of brutalizing

In 2022, two corrections officers at the Laurens County Detention Center in South Carolina were arrested and charged with brutalizing an inmate and using a GLOVE device to repeatedly stun them, CNN noted. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026

Each competitor was giving it their all with brutalizing chops, tough suplexes and going above and beyond to try to win that championship. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026

The same curriculum includes Prophet Muhammed’s history of brutalizing Christians and Jewish people — a framing that Muslim families and interfaith advocates found issue with in public comment. — Rachel Royster. Produced With Ai Assistance, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2026

While Roger Federer is depicted as James Bond, in a tux, elegant and wrinkle-free, Nadal is called Rambo, ripped and relentless, brutalizing the ball and opponents alike. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026

Euthanasia decisions are already brutalizing for dog owners, and those decisions may become even more fraught. — Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026

The charge comes as some advocates and community members have clamored for Illinois officials to pursue criminal cases against immigration agents who have been accused of brutalizing city and suburban residents during their 64-day Operation Midway Blitz in the fall. — Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026

Art the Clown likes brutalizing women. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025

He was fired a few years later over allegations of brutalizing a suspect in custody. — Omar Jimenez, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025