brutal

[ broot-l ]
See synonyms for: brutalbrutally on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. savage; cruel; inhuman: a brutal attack on the village.

  2. crude; coarse: brutal language.

  1. harsh; ferocious: brutal criticism; brutal weather.

  2. taxing, demanding, or exhausting: They're having a brutal time making ends meet.

  3. irrational; unreasoning.

  4. of or relating to lower animals.

Origin of brutal

1
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin brūtālis; equivalent to brute1 + -al1

synonym study For brutal

1. See cruel.

Other words for brutal

Opposites for brutal

Other words from brutal

  • bru·tal·ly, adverb
  • hy·per·bru·tal, adjective
  • hy·per·bru·tal·ly, adverb
  • non·bru·tal, adjective
  • non·bru·tal·ly, adverb
  • o·ver·bru·tal, adjective
  • o·ver·bru·tal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use brutal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for brutal

brutal

/ (ˈbruːtəl) /


adjective
  1. cruel; vicious; savage

  2. extremely honest or coarse in speech or manner

  1. harsh; severe; extreme: brutal cold

Derived forms of brutal

  • brutality, noun
  • brutally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012