1
as in to humiliate
to make (someone) feel or behave more like an animal than a human being
even three years in a prison camp did not brutalize him
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2
as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
Red Cross workers reported that prisoners had been brutalized
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Recent Examples of brutalize
Under Osborne and Devaney, the ’Husker offensive line battered, brutalized and bludgeoned opponents into submission.
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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
See all Example Sentences for brutalize 
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
See all Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
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Illinois has the seventh-highest scoring offense in Division I, but was humiliated to 29 percent shooting, and the otherwise-excellent Kasparas Jakučionis had more turnovers (seven) than made baskets (five, on 15 tries).Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
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Over several years, victims were beaten, threatened and humiliated, while perpetrators befriended parents to screen them from the systemic abuse.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 4 Jan. 2025
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Saturday afternoon, officers responded to a call reporting a coyote pup being abused in the 10800 block of South Sacramento Avenue by three males, Chicago police said, Officers discovered a dead pup on private property and the coyote was removed..Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2025
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In other words, the steadfast commitment to celebrating diversity meant allowing Pakistani men to abuse white girls without consequence.The Editors, National Review, 14 Jan. 2025
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Black people have for centuries called for more factual reporting that reflects their actual lives, because mainstream news has long criminalized and dehumanized their communities.Anita Varma, The Conversation, 3 Jan. 2025
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Pursuing a full head of honey blonde highlights or rocking a 613 was so heavily stigmatized that Black women who experimented with lighter colors were regularly subjected to dehumanizing comments about their appearance.Tayler Adigun, Essence, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
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After spending two days with the Heat on the Northern California portion of their most recent road trip, this much was made quite clear: The Heat are not about to be hurried or bullied into a bad deal.Sam Amick, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
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Trump responded by repeatedly bullying him, threatening to annex Canada.Stephen Maher, TIME, 7 Jan. 2025
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These operations are often controlled by cartels and poison the surrounding natural environment with toxic chemicals.Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
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In 2015, the Tribune reported on a broader phenomenon of lead poisoning plaguing children living in some of the poorest Chicago neighborhoods.Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 16 Jan. 2025
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An investigation has been launched after a viral social media post allegedly showed a Border Patrol agent mistreating a K9 at the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint in Texas.Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Jan. 2025
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The film is in part about how men get away with mistreating women around them.Nicholas Kristof, The Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The organization championed self-determination and economic independence for Black people at a time when Jim Crow laws oppressed African Americans and colonization subjugated Africans on their own continent.Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 24 Dec. 2024
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President Joe Biden recently announced the establishment of a new national monument acknowledging the history of the residential school system, which oppressed thousands of Indigenous children and their families during the course of more than 150 years.Karen K. Ho, ARTnews.com, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Antetokounmpo dominated the game as a facilitator, torturing the Spurs’ help defenders with his passing, tallying eight assists to go along with his 25 points and 16 rebounds.Eric Nehm, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
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Jail records show he's not charged with first-degree murder of a child by injuring, torturing or maiming.Sean Neumann, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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