brutalize

verb

bru·​tal·​ize ˈbrü-tᵊl-ˌīz 

brutalized; brutalizing

transitive verb

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

brutalization

ˌbrü-tᵊl-ə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Synonyms

• animalize
• bestialize
• dehumanize

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

Under Osborne and Devaney, the ’Husker offensive line battered, brutalized and bludgeoned opponents into submission. —Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 14 Dec. 2024

While the future of Syria is a daunting question mark, the fall of the Assad dynasty, which has brutalized the Syrian people for more than 50 years, offers respite to its many, many victims and their families. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

Her physical self lies beneath consideration, eaten by a memoir, subjugated and brutalized to prop up an identity. —Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024

Cantor Fitzgerald was brutalized by the 9/11 attacks. —Jane Thier, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably borrowed from French brutaliser, going back to Middle French, from brutal brutal + -iser -ize

First Known Use

circa 1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1