Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of brutality
Explanation
Brutality is extreme cruelty, deliberate violent meanness. Avoid being the giver or receiver of brutality if you wish to remain a happy human. Brutality comes from brutal (savage, fierce), plus -ity which makes it a noun. It’s the state of being a brute. Many criminals — especially murderers, rapists, and abusers — are guilty of brutality. Police brutality is what happens when the cops use extreme unnecessary force. Brutality is a strong word — just slapping someone isn't quite brutality. Brutality is more like beating a person with a tire iron. Brutality is also the name of a death metal band from Florida.
Vocabulary lists containing brutality
Bronx Masquerade
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All American Boys
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
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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.
In October 2020, she had told him not to go out as widespread anti-police brutality demonstrations, known as the End Sars protests, swept into his area of Lagos, Nigeria's bustling commercial heart.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
The first “Harold & Kumar” film frequently lampoons police brutality and sticks up for its marginalized characters at every turn.
From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026
Members come and go, styles evolve with the times and tools available, but wherever Reznor and Ross are gathered in the name of elegant brutality, the band can follow anywhere.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
Ryan Coogler launched his career with an indie look at police brutality in America.
From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026
The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, which opposed police brutality and engaged in political and social programs in big cities, was founded that year too.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
