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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abusing
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 brutalizing
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
Lesnar, who returned with a violent message on SmackDown, made his intentions clear by brutalizing Cena and issuing the challenge.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
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
Lesnar, who returned with a violent message on SmackDown, made his intentions clear by brutalizing Cena and issuing the challenge.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalizing
Verb
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Is it meant to be galvanizing to watch an avatar of dehumanizing capitalism get taken down a peg by an even crueler villain?—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Nov. 2025
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The torture, abuse, and dehumanizing conditions these characters experience make this show a hard watch, especially as lawmakers continue to police and chip away at women’s reproductive rights at the federal and local level.—
Taryn Finley,
Refinery29,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Three people are awaiting trial on charges of physically and psychologically abusing the victim, now 17.—
Rafael Olmeda,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Jan. 2026
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He was arraigned three months later on charges of repeatedly abusing the child.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This announcement, humiliating the involved member, is harmful.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
Oc Register,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Dan Bujor, who lives out of a school bus parked in Long Island City, was arrested Sunday on charges including overdriving animals, torturing and injuring animals and failure to provide sustenance, in addition to driving without a license, in connection with the bizarre incident, cops said.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
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George was arraigned Saturday on three counts of second-degree killing/torturing animals, two counts of abandoning/cruelty to an animal resulting in a death, and one count of abandoning/cruelty to an animal.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Alice is paranoid, thinking her roommate is rearranging her shower supplies and that someone might be poisoning her food.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
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In one case, in the year before Makandal’s death, a servant in Saint-Domingue named Médor was arrested for poisoning his enslaver to obtain his freedom.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The girlfriend of a 17-year-old boy who was shot and killed after leaving school on Thursday afternoon in west suburban Cicero said the attack was the result of bullying.—
Shardaa Gray,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Military might and bullying never made any country great.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brutalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalizing. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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