as in harshly
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering
the prisoners were treated brutally at the hands of the guards
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Recent Examples of brutally
This recent history reminds us just how brutally inflation spikes can demolish market confidence.
—
Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
In February, 2024, when a nursing student named Laken Riley was brutally raped and murdered by a Venezuelan immigrant in Georgia, Republicans at the state and national level argued that the perpetrator was connected to Tren de Aragua.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Hamas had brutally penetrated our southern border, embarking on the slaughter of civilians.
—Ron Scherf, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
The setpiece is brutally gruesome, darkly comic, and viscerally ambitious.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
This crisis has shown us which world leaders will not only consent to this genocide, but brutally discipline their populations for having the gall to question it.
—Jack Sheehan
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
The already tense trip turns to abject horror when villagers begin getting brutally murdered by a beast in the night.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
But Chicago's 2025 success really rests mostly on the shoulders of Williams, who recently offered some brutally honest comments on his debut season.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Hicks was brutally kicked and punched with her hair pulled.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
In February, 2024, when a nursing student named Laken Riley was brutally raped and murdered by a Venezuelan immigrant in Georgia, Republicans at the state and national level argued that the perpetrator was connected to Tren de Aragua.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Hamas had brutally penetrated our southern border, embarking on the slaughter of civilians.
—Ron Scherf, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
The setpiece is brutally gruesome, darkly comic, and viscerally ambitious.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
This crisis has shown us which world leaders will not only consent to this genocide, but brutally discipline their populations for having the gall to question it.
—Jack Sheehan
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
The already tense trip turns to abject horror when villagers begin getting brutally murdered by a beast in the night.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 2 Sep. 2025
But Chicago's 2025 success really rests mostly on the shoulders of Williams, who recently offered some brutally honest comments on his debut season.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Hicks was brutally kicked and punched with her hair pulled.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutally
Adverb
-
Hilleary, at the campaign event, also harshly criticized Biden’s immigration policies and his administration’s approach to the COVID-19 pandemic.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Always use gentle, soft tools like an old toothbrush to scrub away grime in tough corners or nooks, but avoid scrubbing harshly.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Frank Olton, 76, was found on Monday tied to a pole in his basement suffering from multiple stab wounds, and his wife Maureen Olton, 77, was found on the house's first floor, severely burned, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference on Tuesday.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
-
One of every $8 in outstanding US credit card debt was severely delinquent at the end of June, the highest level since 2010.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
On an oppressively hot Friday in July, plumes of smoke curl up from Arnolds Field.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
15 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
That looks like a different Caleb Williams to me, so Ben Johnson's coached him hard this offseason.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The mixer's bowl boasts a distinctive walnut shade and wood grain pattern, and its food-safe seal means the bowl works hard (and looks good doing it).—
Ella Field,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutally. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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