Synonyms of brutally

brutally

adverb

as in harshly

in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering

the prisoners were treated brutally at the hands of the guards

Synonyms & Similar Words

• harshly
• severely
• oppressively
• hard
• sternly
• ill
• roughly
• stiffly
• ruthlessly
• mercilessly
• aggressively
• savagely
• abusively
• pitilessly
• heartlessly
• inhumanly
• viciously
• strongly
• unmercifully
• hardly
• inhumanely
• callously
• unsparingly
• grimly
• tyrannically
• insensitively
• unfeelingly
• brutishly
• firmly
• obdurately
• uncharitably
• cold-bloodedly
• determinedly
• resolutely
• insensately
• toughly
• decidedly
• assertively
• hard-heartedly
• gruffly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lightly
• gently
• mildly
• softly
• leniently
• lovingly
• tenderly
• kindly
• graciously
• cordially
• considerately
• benevolently
• sympathetically
• mercifully
• clemently
• compassionately
• humanely
• charitably
• understandingly
• tolerantly
• benignantly
• softheartedly

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of brutally

The notion of zombies went back to that Caribbean nation’s days as a European colony, when huge numbers of largely African slaves were brutally disciplined and frequently worked to death by a white-settler minority. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2026

In 2022, four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death in their off-campus home. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 30 July 2026

Before dawn on November 13, 2022, four students at the University of Idaho—Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, and Xana Kernodle—were brutally murdered in an off-campus home. — Forbestv, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Lake recalled Manson allegedly pimping her and the other women and girls in his cult to other adult men and brutally sodomizing her. — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026

When the Red Wings signed Mortiz Seider to this contract, his impacts in brutally tough minutes weren’t yet lining up with his reputation. — Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Elordi played high school bully Nate, who in Season 3 dealt with some goons who tormented him and brutally physically assaulted him. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 21 July 2026

The delivery apps offer discovery and delivery for their 15% to 30% cut—a useful (if brutally expensive) tool for a family-run shop and a dagger to the pizza chains who once stood out by offering those services in-house. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 20 July 2026

Capitalizing on the tide of anti-Rhaenyra sentiment rising among the peasants of King's Landing, Ormund plots to sow further unrest by paying off a band of smallfolk to brutally torture and kill members of the City Watch. — Megan McCluskey, Time, 20 July 2026