verb
-
to make or become brutal
-
(tr) to treat brutally
Other Word Forms
- brutalization noun
- overbrutalization noun
- overbrutalize verb (used with object)
- unbrutalize verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of brutalize
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.
Whether or not he decides to appear at the trial, scheduled to begin later this year, the A.G. can use his videoed deposition testimony to brutalize him the same way Carroll’s lawyers did.
From Slate • May 11, 2023
He said the new commissioner should also commit to firing police officers who “abuse, harass, brutalize, and kill” and promote transparency by releasing more disciplinary records.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 6, 2022
“It will consume government. It will brutalize people. It will cost taxpayers millions of dollars,” he said.
From Washington Times • Aug. 10, 2021
“Oliver Twist” exposes, on every page, the hypocrisy of those who brutalize vulnerable children and claim to be virtuous in the process.
From Salon • Jun. 24, 2018
The weight of the sand began to brutalize her shoulders.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
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.
