brutality

noun

bru·​tal·​i·​ty brü-ˈta-lə-tē 

plural brutalities

1

: the quality or state of being brutal

2

: a brutal act or course of action

Synonyms

• atrociousness
• atrocity
• barbarity
• barbarousness
• cruelness
• cruelty
• fiendishness
• heartlessness
• inhumanity
• inhumanness
• sadism
• savageness
• savagery
• truculence
• viciousness
• wantonness

Examples of brutality in a Sentence

the brutalities of a prison

the police were accused of brutality for using excessive force in making arrests

Recent Examples on the Web

In one scenario, our species could emerge so transformed as to avoid entirely the brutality of human conduct. —Henry A. Kissinger, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024

House Atreides, from which the films’ protagonist Paul (Timothee Chalamet) hails, has a righteousness and goodness that, in contrast to the Harkonnens’ brutality, makes the two families enemies. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2024

Where Pink Floyd’s Seventies oeuvre obsessed on the brutality of the human condition, Gilmour’s latest solo music concerns itself with humanity’s fragility. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2024

Capps is 59 now, and the brutality doesn’t seem to have affected him that much. —Jim Clash, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin brūtālitāt-, brūtālitās, from brūtālis "brutish, bestial" + Latin -itāt-, -itās -ity — more at brutal

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

brutality

noun

bru·​tal·​i·​ty brü-ˈtal-ət-ē 

plural brutalities

1

: the quality or state of being brutal

2

: a brutal act or course of action