1
as in to humiliate
to make (someone) feel or behave more like an animal than a human being
even three years in a prison camp did not brutalize him
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2
as in to abuse
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
Red Cross workers reported that prisoners had been brutalized
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Recent Examples of brutalize
Overnight, Sofia’s posh and privileged life turns upside down: After becoming a tabloid sensation as a serial killer, she’s sent to Arkham, where she’s brutalized both by her fellow inmates and the physicians tasked with her care, despite her constant, panicked protestations of her innocence.
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Adam B. Vary, Variety, 14 Oct. 2024
Her behavior is a response to his; she’s clearly been brutalized before the movie even begins.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 11 July 2024
Not since Paula Pell brutalized the Property Brothers on Girls5Eva has television seen such an iconic brawl.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
So, here is a classic case of a free and independent country being invaded and brutalized by an expansionist dictatorship that seeks to redraw international boundaries by force.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for brutalize 
Adam B. Vary, Variety, 14 Oct. 2024
Her behavior is a response to his; she’s clearly been brutalized before the movie even begins.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 11 July 2024
Not since Paula Pell brutalized the Property Brothers on Girls5Eva has television seen such an iconic brawl.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024
So, here is a classic case of a free and independent country being invaded and brutalized by an expansionist dictatorship that seeks to redraw international boundaries by force.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for brutalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalize
Verb
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To see the reigning English champions humiliated and humbled in such a manner is a very rare event.Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
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Teeny feels humiliated over the fact that Genevieve left her out of the Sol vote, which is more than understandable.Nick Caruso, TVLine, 20 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The University of Chicago has long abused its architectural treasures.Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Dec. 2024
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On Tuesday, lawmakers approved a special counsel to investigate whether Yoon committed insurrection and abused his power by issuing martial law.Jessie Yeung, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
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From the outset of this war, public statements by high-level Israeli officials have dehumanized Palestinians and called for genocidal acts, contributing to an overall pattern of conduct that reveals Israel's true intentions.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
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And heretics, even if they’re not burned at the stake, are dehumanized, ostracized and denied any empathy and understanding.Arianna Huffington, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Buzbee, in return, has accused Carter of a campaign of harassment and bullying against him, his firm and his family.Sean O'Driscoll, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
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The series stars Purnell (Yellowjackets, Sweetbitter) as Rhiannon Lewis, a meek newspaper-office receptionist who was mercilessly bullied in high school.Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 3 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Dexter’s first kill, initiated by the nurse poisoning Harry when he’s hospitalized after a heart attack, is intercut with Deb’s high school volleyball game.Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Dec. 2024
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Moscow’s disastrous war in Afghanistan in the 1980s poisoned its relations with the Muslim world, and even contributed to the collapse of the Soviet state.Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Additionally, there is no central registry for uncertified school employees who have abused or mistreated students.Nolan McKendry | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 16 Dec. 2024
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Some breeders have been accused of mistreating the dogs or doping them.Rachel Raposas, People.com, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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These celebrities are not standing up for people that are being oppressed.Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Sep. 2024
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No one state should be allowed to dominate the process, nor should the big states be allowed to oppress the small.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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As the Assads lived a life of luxury, their regime locked up, tortured and killed thousands of its citizens.Richard Engel, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2024
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Throughout the decades of the Assads’ rule, resistance of any kind was brutally quashed, and offenders were detained and tortured in a network of dozens of facilities across the country.Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalize. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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