brutalize

[broot-l-ahyz]

See more synonyms for brutalize on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), bru·tal·ized, bru·tal·iz·ing.

to make brutal.
to treat (someone) with brutality.

Also especially British, bru·tal·ise.

Origin of brutalize

First recorded in 1695–1705; brutal + -ize

Related formsbru·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. 2018

Related Words for brutalize

dehumanize, demoralize, torment, maltreat, mistreat, pervert, debase, debauch, warp, harden, vitiate, deprave, animalize, coarsen, harm, hurt, ill-treat

Examples from the Web for brutalize

Contemporary Examples of brutalize

I heard that your fight back caused them to get more violent and brutalize you further.
To the Woman Warrior I Didn't Know
Monsoon Bissell
January 5, 2013
They run the economy, own major industries, and brutalize their foes—and Khamenei almost never contradicts them.
The Thugs Who Lead Iran's Supreme Leader
Gary Sick
June 27, 2009

Historical Examples of brutalize

It did not brutalize any who were not very ready for such a process.
A Jewish Chaplain in France
Lee J. Levinger
It is impossible to brutalize the inhabitants of the Philippines!
The Philippines A Century Hence
Jose Rizal
Thank God that no attempt has ever been made to brutalize the troops of the Allies.
Private Peat
Harold R. Peat
"Useful to brutalize a lot of brave souls who merely sought—" he broke off with a new sense of outrage.
The Wrong Twin
Harry Leon Wilson
Every effort was made to brutalize a man, and then he was blamed for not being a St. Bernard.
A Social History of The American Negro
Benjamin Brawley

British Dictionary definitions for brutalize

brutalize

brutalise

verb

to make or become brutal
(tr) to treat brutally

Derived Formsbrutalization 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