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.
But it's a brutal sport, which requires its very best to be in the saddle for several hours almost every day of their lives.
From BBC
It’s been a brutal stretch for American manufacturers.
From Barron's
The extreme fallout of the loss introduced the 48-year-old to the brutal nature of football in Glasgow.
From BBC
There was a callousness about his exit and the brutal words about him from Desmond.
From BBC
But in that role she publicly took a backseat - presenting a more family-oriented face to what critics say was a brutal regime.
From BBC
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.
