How to Use brutal in a Sentence

brutal

adjective
  • The traffic was brutal on the way to work.
  • The movie is a brutal depiction of the war.
  • I had a brutal headache this morning.
  • The writer describes the dangers of drugs with brutal honesty.
  • Sailors sometimes faced brutal punishments like whipping.
  • For those who don't, however, the social response can be brutal.
    Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2023
  • Tyson was known for his brutal knockouts, as his first 19 fights ended early — 12 in the first round.
    Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
  • For Fogle and Donna Lewis, Wicker's mother, the waiting has been brutal.
    Andrea May Sahouri, Detroit Free Press, 3 Feb. 2023
  • Unfortunately, the salt can be brutal on gear, especially knives.
    Max Inchausti, Field & Stream, 30 Jan. 2023
  • Drake's game the next day against Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater was going to be brutal.
    The Indianapolis Star, 6 Feb. 2023
  • The loss ended a brutal season for the Knights, who finished well below their preseason expectations.
    Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel, 30 Nov. 2024
  • His assessment of the inner workings of the Manhattan district attorney’s office is brutal.
    Andrew Weissmann, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
  • Economic Challenges: Years of Covid lockdowns took a brutal toll on Chinese businesses.
    Amy Chang Chien, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2023
  • Early mechanical problems cost them some painful minutes with the car in the garage rather than on the track but, then again, in a race this brutal, simply finishing the full 24 hours is its own kind of victory.
    Corey Seymour, Vogue, 17 Feb. 2023
  • Exploring the outdoor world in South Florida can seem daunting: mosquitoes and brutal sun — not to mention alligators and sharks — might prompt some folks to hit the mall … again.
    Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2023
  • But the brutal, 10-month siege of Bakhmut spares no one and nothing.
    David Axe, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023
  • Gilmore came of age in a time where comedies did not have to be so brutal.
    Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2023
  • But her life took a dark turn with a brutal assault at home.
    Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
  • In the face of a brutal crackdown by the regime, protests spread like wildfire in the following weeks.
    Adam Pourahmadi, CNN, 16 Sep. 2023
  • There are many brutal deaths There are countless deaths in the film, and many are quite intense.
    Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023
  • Playing in the brutal Big East had prepared the Huskies well for this moment.
    John Marshall, ajc, 4 Apr. 2023
  • The largest movement of peoples across the seas occurred by brutal force, through the Atlantic slave trade.
    TIME, 18 Mar. 2024
  • Smith scored again against the Pride despite brutal heat and humidity, and a loss for the Thorns.
    oregonlive, 15 June 2023
  • Justin started out fine until he was stopped on a brutal non-call.
    Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Nov. 2023
  • Melany was born along the brutal migration route north.
    Matt Rivers, ABC News, 10 May 2023
  • The country and much of the world experienced a brutal heat wave last summer.
    Washington Post Staff, Washington Post, 10 July 2023
  • At the top of the episode, the 13-year-old was asked by Sigler what it’s been like since her mom began to feel the sometimes brutal impact of the disorder.
    Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 June 2024
  • The resulting footage, which aired on the news, captured the N.Y.P.D.’s brutal tactics for suppressing the protest.
    Miss Rosen, The New Yorker, 8 July 2023
  • Shame, anger and distress caused by months of brutal extortion are transformed into the need to share the process.
    Leo Barraclough, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024
  • The city is close to Bakhmut, which Russia captured in May after months of brutal fighting.
    Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brutal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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