brutal
Americanadjective
-
savage; cruel; inhuman.
a brutal attack on the village.
- Antonyms:
- kind
-
crude; coarse.
brutal language.
-
harsh; ferocious.
brutal criticism; brutal weather.
-
taxing, demanding, or exhausting.
They're having a brutal time making ends meet.
-
irrational; unreasoning.
-
of or relating to lower animals.
- Antonyms:
- human
adjective
-
cruel; vicious; savage
-
extremely honest or coarse in speech or manner
-
harsh; severe; extreme
brutal cold
Related Words
See cruel.
Other Word Forms
- brutality noun
- brutally adverb
- hyperbrutal adjective
- hyperbrutally adverb
- nonbrutal adjective
- nonbrutally adverb
- overbrutal adjective
- overbrutally adverb
Etymology
Origin of brutal
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin brūtālis; equivalent to brute 1 + -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The practice has deep roots in incel forums and the broader manosphere, where appearance is treated as destiny and social life is reduced to a brutal, pseudo-Darwinian hierarchy.
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026
A top Fidesz official grudgingly admitted that Magyar has "a brutal energy", which his own camp often lacks.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
SoFi stock has fallen 40% this year as of Wednesday’s close of trading, weighed down by a brutal market for fintech and allegations of accounting mishandling by the short seller Muddy Waters Research.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
It’s brutal if you’re heading back to L.A.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
“The brutal fact is that we have been losing ground at an increasing rate,” McNamara warned in a memo soon after Rolling Thunder began.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
