brutalize
verb
bru·tal·ize
ˈbrü-tᵊl-ˌīz 
brutalized; brutalizing
1
: to make brutal, unfeeling, or inhuman
temperaments brutalized by poverty and disease
2
: to treat brutally
an accord not to brutalize prisoners of war
Examples of brutalize in a Sentence
a young man brutalized by the experience of war
The prisoners claimed to have been brutalized by their captors.
Recent Examples on the Web
Former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee has been arrested and charged in the murder of his girlfriend, who was found brutalized at a home in Tennessee on Thursday before succumbing to her injuries.
—
Jami Ganz, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
Former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee has been arrested and charged in the murder of his girlfriend, who was found brutalized at a home in Tennessee on Thursday before succumbing to her injuries.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
The Great Migration gave Black Americans a chance to start over without being brutalized for the pursuit of knowledge, liberation and self-expression, and the amount of talent and history in the room is staggering.
—Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
American citizens have been brutalized, pepper-sprayed, and killed on the streets of Minneapolis.
—Aziz Huq, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jami Ganz, Mercury News, 8 Feb. 2026
Former New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee has been arrested and charged in the murder of his girlfriend, who was found brutalized at a home in Tennessee on Thursday before succumbing to her injuries.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
The Great Migration gave Black Americans a chance to start over without being brutalized for the pursuit of knowledge, liberation and self-expression, and the amount of talent and history in the room is staggering.
—Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 3 Feb. 2026
American citizens have been brutalized, pepper-sprayed, and killed on the streets of Minneapolis.
—Aziz Huq, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brutalize. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
