1
as in to humiliate
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 to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
Red Cross workers reported that prisoners had been brutalized
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Recent Examples of brutalize
He was physically and mentally brutalized by a sociopathic father.
—
Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2025
Those who have been brutalized shall brutalize others in turn.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 18 Dec. 2024
On the page, Serafina is an archetypical Williams heroine — a woman who feels the world too deeply and is therefore brutalized by its harsh truths and petty cruelties (e.g. Maggie the Cat, Blanche DuBois, Amanda Wingfield).
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
The Fed’s aggressive rate hikes brutalized any poor soul lugging a big balance.
—Nerdwallet, Twin Cities, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 16 Jan. 2025
Those who have been brutalized shall brutalize others in turn.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 18 Dec. 2024
On the page, Serafina is an archetypical Williams heroine — a woman who feels the world too deeply and is therefore brutalized by its harsh truths and petty cruelties (e.g. Maggie the Cat, Blanche DuBois, Amanda Wingfield).
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 2 Mar. 2025
The Fed’s aggressive rate hikes brutalized any poor soul lugging a big balance.
—Nerdwallet, Twin Cities, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
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There was a period when Broadway creators thought the only way to get a performance was to humiliate a person.—
Mark Seliger,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2025
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An investigation of at least eight fraternities found that members humiliated students through means like beating them with paddles or forcing potential recruits to eat live fish and drink urine, according to court filings.—
Dan Belson,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Authorities subsequently found that the boy and Ruby's 10-year-old daughter had been seriously abused.—
Liam Quinn,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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In May 2023, Attorney General Kwame Raoul published a 696-page report, which found that over about seven decades, at least 1,997 children have been abused by 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers across the state’s dioceses.—
Natalie Demaree,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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School staff wouldn't face punishment For using students' incorrect pronouns under bill Another Iowa student, 14-year-old Berry Stevens, who uses they/them pronouns, said the bill allowed adults and students in schools to go out of their way to dehumanize others.—
Sabine Martin,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2025
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Empathy disappears, justice is dismissed, and the people who live in the land are dehumanized.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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With his carry-on bag, his ID and medication inside, now with the DEA, David had no choice but to step off the plane and was eventually bullied into permitting a search of his bag.—
Andrew Wimer,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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In the novel and subsequent film adaptation, Sue initially joins in bullying Carrie but later decides to try to befriend her.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Until Henry momentarily excuses himself from the table, that is, and the person or persons behind these winky-wink messages tell her to poison Henry ASAP or the menacing guy currently hiding in her apartment will kill her boy.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
10 Apr. 2025
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Calls to poison control centers for pediatric melatonin ingestion increased 530 percent between 2012 and 2021, according to one analysis published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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But Lively did believe she had been harassed and mistreated on set, the filing claims, making the defamation accusation false.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
20 Mar. 2025
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Michael also claimed in an episode that he was manipulated and mistreated by his former wife.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Lopakhin and Varya are pushed together throughout the play, but poor Varya, also born working class, will never be able to break through the part of Lopakhin that still idolizes the very nobility that oppressed his family for generations.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
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The trial for Morteza Amiri and Devon Wenger will test the government’s contention that the two men used the power of their badges to intimidate, injure and oppress the people of the city they were supposed to serve.—
Nate Gartrell,
The Mercury News,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Court's ruling requires DHS to provide basic procedural protections so that persons are not secretly removed to a country where they may be persecuted or tortured.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
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Michael Sang Correa was charged with torturing five men believed to be opponents of Yahya Jammeh following an unsuccessful plot to remove him from power in 2006.—
Colleen Slevin,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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