Dictionary.com

brutalize

[ broot-l-ahyz ]
/ ˈbrut lˌaɪz /
Save This Word!

verb (used with object), bru·tal·ized, bru·tal·iz·ing.
to make brutal.
to treat (someone) with brutality.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Also especially British, bru·tal·ise .

Origin of brutalize

First recorded in 1695–1705; brutal + -ize

OTHER WORDS FROM brutalize

bru·tal·i·za·tion, nouno·ver·bru·tal·i·za·tion, nouno·ver·bru·tal·ize, verb (used with object), o·ver·bru·tal·ized, o·ver·bru·tal·iz·ing.un·bru·tal·ize, verb (used with object), un·bru·tal·ized, un·bru·tal·iz·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use brutalize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for brutalize

brutalize

brutalise

/ (ˈbruːtəˌlaɪz) /

verb
to make or become brutal
(tr) to treat brutally

Derived forms of brutalize

brutalization or brutalisation, noun
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
FEEDBACK