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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutalize
In New York, guards who brutalized prisoners or covered it up were rarely fired.
—
Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
Ayatollah Khamenei led a regime that brutalized its own people, launched attacks around the world for almost 40 years.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
Please join me in praying for US service members, our allies, and the innocent Iranian population that has been brutalized for decades.
—Twumasi Duah-Mensah, Charlotte Observer, 28 Feb. 2026
One of his stops was in Selma, Alabama, where, in 1965, state troopers and local police brutalized unarmed Black demonstrators.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026
Ayatollah Khamenei led a regime that brutalized its own people, launched attacks around the world for almost 40 years.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
Please join me in praying for US service members, our allies, and the innocent Iranian population that has been brutalized for decades.
—Twumasi Duah-Mensah, Charlotte Observer, 28 Feb. 2026
One of his stops was in Selma, Alabama, where, in 1965, state troopers and local police brutalized unarmed Black demonstrators.
—John Cassidy, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
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One such accusation resulted in a federal lawsuit filed in September in which the former head of the Colorado Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and DeafBlind alleged DHS management humiliated and discriminated against him before forcing him out of his job.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
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According to the suit, she was humiliated by fellow staff members and belittled due to her race, country of origin, religion and immigration status.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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According to Lewkowitz, if a grower abuses the soil, the system ceases to be viable, leaving zero likelihood of success from a sustainability standpoint.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
27 Apr. 2026
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Intermediate scrutiny is why men abuse women at such high rates and get away with it.—
Wendy Murphy,
Boston Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nor is the bishop of Rome trying to humiliate or dehumanize his opponent.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
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Social media posts and comments showed an increasing use of dehumanizing language toward Muslims.—
Anisah Bagasra,
The Conversation,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Unfortunately, Trump’s bullying style of diplomacy does not engender a willingness by allies and friends to step forward and provide assistance to our efforts in Iran.—
Tom Jurkowsky,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Apr. 2026
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Boerkircher, playing at Nebraska, bullied Hunter for more than 15 yards before Hunter ripped off his helmet.—
Mark Long,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Who cares about the fact that her friend cheated when her child was poisoned by her husband and her father?—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
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Kuroda admitted to using chloroform, paraformaldehyde (PFA), and Trizol to poison his co-worker's water bottle and shoes, according to a Dane County Court criminal complaint.—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That says a lot about Michael rescuing other people who felt that they were being abused, mistreated.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
26 Apr. 2026
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Advocates say the family is worried that if they're returned to Egypt, they'll be labeled as terrorists and be targeted by the Egyptian government and mistreated.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Communities endured the triple indignity of working on the statues and being both redressed and oppressed by those statues.—
Horace D. Ballard,
Artforum,
22 Apr. 2026
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Much of progressive ideological frameworks tend to divide the world into oppressors and oppressed.—
Arie Perliger,
The Conversation,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Najib was in that position in 2011 when teenagers who scrawled antigovernment graffiti on a school wall in Daraa were arrested and tortured.—
Ghaith Alsayed,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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Towns tortured the Hawks, scoring 20 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists, marking the first triple-double of his playoff career.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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