1
as in harsh
difficult to endure
brutal hard labor in the hot sun
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cruel
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
a brutal tyrant who drove his country to revolt
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brute
having or showing the nature and appetites of a lower animal
a coarse, brutal man who has no sense of what it means to be refined or sensitive or cultured
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutal
Brutal, racist, obsessive detective Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) and brutal, racist, obsessive Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn) could be BFFs.
—
Lisa Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart also sat out for the Lakers on the second night of a brutal back-to-back set against the Western Conference's top two teams.
—CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
That mission has been tested during the recent brutal stretch of winter weather.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
But the result was a brutal denial.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutal
Lisa Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart also sat out for the Lakers on the second night of a brutal back-to-back set against the Western Conference's top two teams.
—CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
That mission has been tested during the recent brutal stretch of winter weather.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
But the result was a brutal denial.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brutal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutal
Adjective
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The energy output is designed to remain stable down to –50 degrees Celsius, supporting reliable operation in some of the harshest climates on Earth, reports InsideEVs.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Feb. 2026
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Rapinchuk recommends only using non-toxic products when cleaning your refrigerator and avoiding anything with harsh chemicals, such as bleach and ammonia.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Said quest forces her to reexamine a revelatory affair with an RAF pilot, and consider how their engagement’s cruel ending set her on the path to a different sort of fulfillment.—
Hayley Maitland,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
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Government should tame the savageness of man and make life in this world more gentle, not crueler.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Organizations that adopt these practices will move faster, spend less, and achieve more than those still chasing brute-force scale.—
Abhas Ricky,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
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Derick Hall is a Super Bowl champion because of his brute strength.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Most importantly, Alvarado relishes in his role as a tough-nosed, point-of-attack defender, an area the Knicks have had trouble despite building a roster with notable defenders across all positions.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
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With a durable and tough rubber sole featuring Vibram's TC5+ technology, each step offers the right amount of flex and resistance for a comfortable hiking experience.—
Michael Cappetta,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Catherine’s brother Hindley, a vicious bully whose abuse is part of what drives Cathy and Heathcliff so closely together, is cut entirely, his role combined with Catherine’s father.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
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Everyone is fair game for her vicious tongue.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Drawing from the histories of women detained for their political beliefs, the work explores how care, resistance and survival persist even under the most oppressive conditions.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
1 Feb. 2026
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Director Tony Williams masterfully curates a mood of oppressive dread from the opening minutes through the bloody climax and explosive final frames, making this one of the very best Australian horror films of all time.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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On his second, Dominique pulled off a savage windmill, the same dunk that had earned a perfect score the year before and won him the title.—
Kevin Sherrington
Feb. 10,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
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Meantime, outflows both from both software and crypto (an asset class most correlated with unprofitable tech stocks) grew excessive until the savage software/bitcoin selloff hit an extreme Thursday, when money came sloshing in to catch the falling knives.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The film, a searing exploration of the country’s flawed prison system, also stars Rivals frontman Alex Hassell and British R&B artist Ray BLK.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Jan. 2026
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Nowhere perhaps was the searing heat more evident than at Melbourne Park, where the usual crowds thronging outside the Australian Open tennis tournament dwindled to a ghost town as temperatures soared.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brutal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutal. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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