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
Synonym Usage
See cruel.
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
Use brutal to describe something beastly and harsh, like training for a triathlon, a really cold winter in the Arctic, or a mean bouncer at a club who throws people out for no reason. First used in the mid 15th century to refer to the brutish nature of animals, brutal is now also used to describe other things like human behavior, weather, or even music. “Rock ‘n Roll,” said Frank Sinatra, “is the most brutal, ugly, desperate, vicious form of expression it has been my misfortune to hear.” If someone is brutal, watch out — she's violent and mean. The truth can be brutal, too, if it's something you don't want to hear.
Vocabulary lists containing brutal
Wintry Words
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The Crossover
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Sugar Changed the World
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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.
“We’ve gotten very intense information fed to us now for a very, very long time—it’s been a brutal decade, or longer,” Poehler says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The force of the crash was "brutal", said 62-year-old passenger Salvador Arriza who was sitting in the Renfe-operated train.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Los Javis use the stories to tell the tale of a brutal war that divided Spain and left deep scars, and the story of the joys and hardships of ordinary men turned into soldiers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
In a 116-ball stay, he mixed innovation with brutal power and deft touches.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
And I was darning so many holey socks at the boardinghouse, my nose had grown numb from the particularly brutal odor of sweaty, dusty feet.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
