brutalize

verb

bru·​tal·​ize ˈbrü-tᵊl-ˌīz How to pronounce brutalize (audio)
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 noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There were images of riots, burning cities and Black people brutalizing white people. James Bandler, ProPublica, 25 Mar. 2025 That morning Laken was viciously attacked, assaulted, beaten, brutalized, and horrifically murdered. CBS News, 5 Mar. 2025 That morning, Laken was viciously attacked, assaulted, beaten, brutalized, and horrifically murdered. Time Staff, TIME, 5 Mar. 2025 Our heroes first find the eponymous Tin Man, for example, imprisoned in a metal sarcophagus, forced to watch video clips of his family being brutalized for decades. Emma Stefansky, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for brutalize

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of brutalize was circa 1704

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Cite this Entry

“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brutalize. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

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