1
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
the police were accused of brutality for using excessive force in making arrests
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brutishness
the manifestation of the traits or the gratification of the appetites of a lower animal
the disconcerting ease with which the people adopted the brutality of the enemy invaders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples of brutality in a Sentence
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Recent Examples on the Web
Floyd’s killing sparked a wave of protests around the world, along with a spate of legislative measures intended to address police brutality and racial bias.
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Dalia Faheid and Jillian Sykes, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024
Specifically, North Korean Christians endure serious bodily or mental harm, killing, and targeting of their children through severe public executions for their faith, being sent to political prison camps, and the targeting of their children through the Kim regime’s brutality.
—Olivia Enos, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
Since making the announcement in the summer of 2019, Jay was criticized for getting in bed with a league that allegedly blackballed San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for choosing to kneel during the national anthem in protest of police brutality.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2024
Then came Colin Kaepernick and his choice, in 2016, to kneel during the national anthem at games, in protest of police brutality against Black Americans—followed by the decision on the part of every team in the league not to employ him once the season was up.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for brutality 
Dalia Faheid and Jillian Sykes, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024
Specifically, North Korean Christians endure serious bodily or mental harm, killing, and targeting of their children through severe public executions for their faith, being sent to political prison camps, and the targeting of their children through the Kim regime’s brutality.
—Olivia Enos, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
Since making the announcement in the summer of 2019, Jay was criticized for getting in bed with a league that allegedly blackballed San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for choosing to kneel during the national anthem in protest of police brutality.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2024
Then came Colin Kaepernick and his choice, in 2016, to kneel during the national anthem at games, in protest of police brutality against Black Americans—followed by the decision on the part of every team in the league not to employ him once the season was up.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for brutality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutality
Noun
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By the time this piece comes out, Moo Deng’s appearance on Weekend Update will have been overshadowed by Yang kissing Ariana Grande in a skit about family charades gone awry and Mariah Carey protesting the cruelty of overhead lighting on Las Culturistas.Sarah Burke, Them, 23 Oct. 2024
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Wilder’s film, for all its offbeat humor and quotable zingers, was always about the ugliness of Hollywood and the monstrous cruelty of an industry that drains its players like a vampire does its victims.Greg Evans, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Since last week’s atrocity, imagery of which was widely shared on social media, the Ukrainian 82nd and 95th Air Assault Brigades, respectively holding positions southeast and southwest of the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade’s own positions in Kursk Oblast, have ambushed Russian marines.David Axe, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024
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And while the second Monday in October has historically been celebrated as Columbus Day and is still federally recognized as such, many have pushed for moving away from the holiday to acknowledge the atrocities Columbus committed against people living in the Americas long before his arrival.Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 14 Oct. 2024
Noun
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All of a sudden, that animalism has been incarnated.Hunter Ingram, Variety, 25 Mar. 2024
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But what Cameron represents to Harper is unfettered animalism, and that’s part of what’s missing in her relationship with Ethan.Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 12 Dec. 2022
Noun
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The other characters are getting animalities, as well: Peacemaker gets the eagle, Omni-Man the Hail Mary kaiju from Invincible, and Johnny Cage becomes a shark.Nick Romano, EW.com, 23 Sep. 2024
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Meg combined elements of Christie Monteiro, with Bryans Snakeskin Pants (both from Tekken), while dancing in a DDR setting similarly to Ulala from Space Channel 5, fatalities and animalities from MK, with nods to old school games from the Sega Genesis era.Solcyré Burga, TIME, 10 May 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near brutality
Cite this Entry
“Brutality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutality. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.
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