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
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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
Which ones brutalize a fan base, scarring them for generations?
—
Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 19 June 2025
By contrast, Pacific Palisades, another area that was brutalized by fire, had already established an official record of its cultural heritage via SurveyLA, a historic resources survey conducted by the city.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
Guards, many of them teenage cadets from police academies, are reportedly ordered to humiliate and brutalize detainees, some barely older than themselves.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 20 May 2025
Then there’s Danaher, the worst of all, which has been brutalized by a lack of Chinese biotech offerings.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 19 June 2025
By contrast, Pacific Palisades, another area that was brutalized by fire, had already established an official record of its cultural heritage via SurveyLA, a historic resources survey conducted by the city.
—Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
Guards, many of them teenage cadets from police academies, are reportedly ordered to humiliate and brutalize detainees, some barely older than themselves.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 20 May 2025
Then there’s Danaher, the worst of all, which has been brutalized by a lack of Chinese biotech offerings.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
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Coach Ruben Amorim publicly humiliated him before a loan move to Aston Villa for the final half of the campaign.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
20 July 2025
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Caught in an undignified situation, humiliated by a hot, skinnier love interest, Jessica was the latest incarnation of the funny fat lady (who is never actually that fat, merely representative of the average American woman).—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
16 July 2025
Verb
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At the time of her death, Sardinha was studying to become a counselor with the hope of working with women who had been abused, her mother told Orange County Superior Court Judge Michael J. Leversen.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
25 July 2025
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According to prosecutors, Maxwell helped Jeffrey Epstein recruit, groom, and abuse minor girls from about 1994 to about 2004, including girls as young as 14 years old.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Each of us must master the art of disagreeing without dehumanizing.—
F. Willis Johnson,
Twin Cities,
10 July 2025
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Seeing how she was broken down and dehumanized through torture and isolation, definitely reflected the lengths humans will go to in order to survive.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Researchers have seen that wild horses and burros will hog water tanks, streams, and other water sources — often to the detriment of native critters like deer and antelope, which are easily bullied by a big stallion.—
Dac Collins,
Outdoor Life,
31 July 2025
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After all, living with a drunk step-mom, being bullied at school, and failing all her classes isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
28 July 2025
Verb
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Silverstein poisons her argument, and thus grossly diminishes it, by introducing these political considerations that have nothing to do with antisemitism.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
27 July 2025
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The algae have poisoned more than 4,500 square kilometers (1,737 square miles) of the state’s waters – an area larger than Rhode Island – littering beaches with carcasses and ravaging an area known for its diversity.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
26 July 2025
Verb
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Women are often mistreated with aggressive surgical techniques that can be avoided.—
Nkem Osian,
Baltimore Sun,
23 July 2025
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In court, McGuire's parents, Debbie and Glenn McGuire, alleged that Young mistreated their daughter, per ABC.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
18 July 2025
Verb
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On Monday, extreme heat will oppress much of the Central and Eastern U.S., with the most dangerous combination of high temperatures and humidity continuing through Wednesday, according to the NWS forecast.—
Suzanne Rowan Kelleher,
Forbes.com,
28 July 2025
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Merchants were making a killing buying, selling and oppressing people.—
Tanya Talaga
July 24,
Literary Hub,
24 July 2025
Verb
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Luis Leon, who received political asylum in the United States in 1987 after being tortured under Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's regime, misplaced his wallet that held his legal residency card, according to Allentown, Pennsylvania, newspaper The Morning Call.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 July 2025
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Editor’s Pick From assassination plots to torture programs, the agency’s darkest operations have always been at the President’s behest.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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