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
Trump has brutalized the media and is a big reason trust has eroded in the fourth estate.
—
Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2025
Inside the Auschwitz concentration camp complex, the soldiers liberated roughly 7,000 prisoners who had been brutalized by a Nazi regime hell-bent on exterminating the Jewish people.
—Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, 27 Jan. 2025
This regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Particularly since the same poisonous influences that brutalized mostly peculiar women 400 years ago are alive and well today.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Nolan Finley, Twin Cities, 31 Jan. 2025
Inside the Auschwitz concentration camp complex, the soldiers liberated roughly 7,000 prisoners who had been brutalized by a Nazi regime hell-bent on exterminating the Jewish people.
—Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, 27 Jan. 2025
This regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Particularly since the same poisonous influences that brutalized mostly peculiar women 400 years ago are alive and well today.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
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No, Trump Did Not ‘Bring Back Free Speech’ An August 2024 report by Columbia’s task force on antisemitism found that Jews and Israelis at Columbia were often ostracized and humiliated on campus.—
Solcyré Burga,
TIME,
7 Mar. 2025
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The whole point is to humiliate weaker men – and to subjugate women.—
Robert B. Reich,
Hartford Courant,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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After killing the nun (Jennifer Ehle) who was her primary abuser within an entire system designed to abuse, Teonna went on the run.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
16 Mar. 2025
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Google has updated its affiliate link policy following allegations that coupon-clipping website Honey was abusing the program.—
Emily Forlini,
PCMAG,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The temptation to dehumanize our enemies and label them as animals or insects aids to justify further violence.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
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The tactics are chillingly familiar: dehumanize immigrants, gaslight millions into dismissing the Jan. 6 insurrection, and relentlessly perpetuate lies to reshape reality.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Jan. 2025
Verb
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While being black or white may not be inherent to Snape’s character, Potter fans note that this will set up situations like James Potter bullying a young black kid in the ‘70s which are certainly not good optics and totally change the dynamics of the James/Lily/Snape storyline.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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The claims range from a prosecutor addressing an attorney by her first name and interfering with witnesses during depositions, to allegations that prosecutors withheld evidence, bullied a witness and engaged in selective prosecution of a mother whose son was shot and killed by police.—
Brittany Wallman,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The invisible, odorless gas is the leading cause of poisoning deaths in the United States, killing more than 400 Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2025
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Thousands each year are shot, poisoned to suffer, and trapped legally.—
James Powel,
USA TODAY,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Black models confided in her, sharing stories of their hair being damaged, mistreated, or outright ignored by stylists unfamiliar with their textures.—
Lyric Christian,
Essence,
12 Mar. 2025
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Both Kansas City officials and KC Pet Project agree that the city’s current chapter on animal control in the city code has flaws that impede the ability of animal-control officers to go onto private property without permission to impound vicious dogs and animals that are being mistreated.—
Mike Hendricks,
Kansas City Star,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Her work as a writer and the owner of Loudmouth Books is all about offering protection and support to the overlooked and oppressed.—
Justin L. Mack,
Axios,
27 Feb. 2025
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My piece is about all of the bills being passed to oppress the identities of people who don’t fit into society’s idea of men and women, let alone people outside the gender binary.—
The Learning Network,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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One of Manson's followers, Bobby Beausoleil, was found guilty of torturing and murdering the man who introduced Manson to Wilson, Gary Hinman.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
8 Mar. 2025
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Between January and June 2023, the couple abused and tortured their two children within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, according to prosecutors.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to brutalize
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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