1
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
the police were accused of brutality for using excessive force in making arrests
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brutishness
the manifestation of the traits or the gratification of the appetites of a lower animal
the disconcerting ease with which the people adopted the brutality of the enemy invaders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutality
Anyone with 25% of their brain functioning could see this was police brutality and these thugs are a menace perpetrated on society.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
Members come and go, styles evolve with the times and tools available, but wherever Reznor and Ross are gathered in the name of elegant brutality, the band can follow anywhere.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
No brutality in history has been able to take knowledge from Iranians.
—Max Burman, NBC news, 6 Apr. 2026
Good Friday is a day to recognize the brutality of the Roman practice of crucifying criminals and to reflect with sincerity on the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for the world.
—Nicole Russell, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutality
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
Members come and go, styles evolve with the times and tools available, but wherever Reznor and Ross are gathered in the name of elegant brutality, the band can follow anywhere.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
No brutality in history has been able to take knowledge from Iranians.
—Max Burman, NBC news, 6 Apr. 2026
Good Friday is a day to recognize the brutality of the Roman practice of crucifying criminals and to reflect with sincerity on the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for the world.
—Nicole Russell, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutality
Noun
-
Initially, the couple was arrested on charges of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree unlawful restraint, intentional cruelty to persons, risk of injury to a minor and conspiracy to commit risk of injury to a minor.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
There was a particular cruelty in having lived with her hearing for 28 years before losing it.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Generations of agents, therefore, have had to walk a line between bookishness and brutishness.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
But the brutishness has merely relocated, to places far more dangerous.—
Ian Buruma,
New Yorker,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Since insurgents ousted former President Bashar Assad in December 2024, dozens of members of his security agencies that were blamed for atrocities during the conflict have been arrested.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
By compiling a vast database of this material and sharing it through impactful social videos, the project has reached millions, providing vital eyewitness testimonies and interactive resources to document the atrocities faced by the people of Gaza.—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Hope is something that Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri can related to, having explored the dualities of hope and despair (as well as lightness and darkness, and fluidity and animalism) in her spring 2023 collection.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
WWD,
22 Jan. 2025
-
All of a sudden, that animalism has been incarnated.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2024
Noun
-
In other words, humans can act against the animal component of their nature and manifest their humanity by rejecting their animality.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Nov. 2025
-
This strangeness causes all sorts of internal agitation, an uneasiness about humanity’s closeness to animality.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutality. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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