brutal

adjective

bru·​tal ˈbrü-tᵊl How to pronounce brutal (audio)
1
: suitable to one who lacks intelligence, sensitivity, or compassion : befitting a brute: such as
a
: cruel, cold-blooded
a brutal attack
b
: harsh, severe
brutal weather
c
: unpleasantly accurate and incisive
the brutal truth
d
: very bad or unpleasant
a brutal mistake
e
: grossly ruthless or unfeeling
a brutal slander
2
archaic : typical of beasts : animal
thee, Serpent … to me so friendly grown above the rest of brutal kindJohn Milton
brutally adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for brutal

brutal, brutish, bestial, feral mean characteristic of an animal in nature, action, or instinct.

brutal applies to people, their acts, or their words and suggests a lack of intelligence, feeling, or humanity.

a senseless and brutal war

brutish stresses likeness to an animal in low intelligence, in base appetites, and in behavior based on instinct.

brutish stupidity

bestial suggests a state of degradation unworthy of humans and fit only for beasts.

bestial depravity

feral suggests the savagery or ferocity of wild animals.

the struggle to survive unleashed their feral impulses

Examples of brutal in a Sentence

Sailors sometimes faced brutal punishments like whipping. a brutal struggle for survival in the wilderness The writer describes the dangers of drugs with brutal honesty. The movie is a brutal depiction of the war. The traffic was brutal on the way to work. I had a brutal headache this morning.
Recent Examples on the Web The incident evokes the brutal post-Soviet years of murky executions in Russia among the political and business mafias. Melik Kaylan, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024 The brothers were convicted in 1996 of murder with special circumstances in the brutal shotgun killings of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, inside their Beverly Hills home. James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024 Cera will play a naïve rebel who tries to help the desperate man. Brolin, meanwhile, stars as the ruthless producer of the game show, O’Brian will play one of the contestants on the show, and Pace is playing the brutal chief hunter tracking down Powell’s character. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Oct. 2024 The introduction of a Russia-style law on foreign influence in May — and a brutal police crackdown on subsequent protests at the bill — was particularly contentious, and seen as the most obvious example of Georgian Dream’s slide toward a Kremlin-like style of governance. Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for brutal 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brutal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English brutall "like an animal, bestial," borrowed from Middle French & Medieval Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin brūtālis "brutish, bestial," from brūtum "brute beast" (derivative of Latin brūtus "heavy, inert, devoid of intelligence or feeling, brutish") + Latin -ālis -al entry 1 — more at brute entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of brutal was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near brutal

Cite this Entry

“Brutal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brutal. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

brutal

adjective
bru·​tal ˈbrüt-ᵊl How to pronounce brutal (audio)
: being cruel and inhuman : savage
a brutal attack
brutally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on brutal

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