brutalize
verb
bru·tal·ize
ˈbrü-tᵊl-ˌīz 
brutalized; brutalizing
1
: to make brutal, unfeeling, or inhuman
temperaments brutalized by poverty and disease
2
: to treat brutally
an accord not to brutalize prisoners of war
Examples of brutalize in a Sentence
a young man brutalized by the experience of war
The prisoners claimed to have been brutalized by their captors.
Recent Examples on the Web
Victims who spoke out really were emotionally brutalized.
—
Pat Beall, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2025
Prosecutors say that behind the veil of his larger-than-life public persona, Combs was for years brutalizing vulnerable women with assistance from members of a criminal enterprise, who helped to keep his victims compliant and provoke fear in anyone perceived to threaten his power and control.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 16 June 2025
The system that is now targeting and brutalizing immigrants of color has a long history of targeting and brutalizing Black, brown, and Indigenous communities across this country.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
Musk is a man who grew up under Apartheid in South Africa, where Black South Africans were brutalized for decades.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
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Pat Beall, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2025
Prosecutors say that behind the veil of his larger-than-life public persona, Combs was for years brutalizing vulnerable women with assistance from members of a criminal enterprise, who helped to keep his victims compliant and provoke fear in anyone perceived to threaten his power and control.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 16 June 2025
The system that is now targeting and brutalizing immigrants of color has a long history of targeting and brutalizing Black, brown, and Indigenous communities across this country.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
Musk is a man who grew up under Apartheid in South Africa, where Black South Africans were brutalized for decades.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutalize
Cite this Entry
“Brutalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brutalize. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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