brutalize

especially British, bru·tal·ise

[broot-l-ahyz]

verb (used with object)

brutalized, brutalizing 

1. to make brutal.

2. to treat (someone) with brutality.

brutalize

/ ˈbruːtəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to make or become brutal

2. (tr) to treat brutally

Other Word Forms

• brutalization noun
• overbrutalization noun
• overbrutalize verb (used with object)
• unbrutalize verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of brutalize¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; brutal + -ize

Example Sentences

“The callousness and calculation involved in this murder was designed to brutalize their victim until his very last breath while striking fear in everyone who witnessed it.”

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Up to and including his high school graduation, Cam was brutalized by his classmates, who found him to be easy pickings.

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Those videos are sadly just a drop in the toxic river of posts showing immigration agents brutalizing migrants and citizens alike that long ago drowned out almost anything else on my social media feeds.

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She had been sitting at her desk when her supervisor handed her a letter from an inmate alleging jailers were brutalizing people in their custody.

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Earlier this year, Israeli settlers brutalized another member of the Oscar-winning “No Other Land” team.

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Related Words

• maltreat 
• mistreat 
• torment