1
as in cruelty
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
the police were accused of brutality for using excessive force in making arrests
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brutishness
the manifestation of the traits or the gratification of the appetites of a lower animal
the disconcerting ease with which the people adopted the brutality of the enemy invaders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brutality
Over 10,000 people have been killed in violence since 2021, with 5,600 being killed last year alone, according to the U.N.
The gangs responsible for the violence are notable for their heavy weaponry, brutality, and erraticism.
—
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 May 2025
After a bystander’s video of Floyd’s death sparked nationwide calls for an end to police impunity and brutality, the officer, Derek Chauvin, was fired.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 21 May 2025
The group inflicted widespread abuse and brutality on the tiny population that remained, sparking an outpouring of relief when the army retook it.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 16 May 2025
Trump’s allusions to police brutality – the very thing demonstrators were protesting – only seemed to rile them and underscore what was at stake.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutality
Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 May 2025
After a bystander’s video of Floyd’s death sparked nationwide calls for an end to police impunity and brutality, the officer, Derek Chauvin, was fired.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 21 May 2025
The group inflicted widespread abuse and brutality on the tiny population that remained, sparking an outpouring of relief when the army retook it.
—Emmanuel Akinwotu, NPR, 16 May 2025
Trump’s allusions to police brutality – the very thing demonstrators were protesting – only seemed to rile them and underscore what was at stake.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for brutality
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutality
Noun
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That's why the spectacular cruelty with which the cuts were carried out tanked Musk's personal brand and triggered Trump's inexorable decline in approval.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 May 2025
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Currently there are no comprehensive animal cruelty laws in China, which experts say has created a culture of impunity among cat torturers.—
Rebecca Wright,
CNN Money,
30 May 2025
Noun
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Immediately, people all over the world are uploading videos of their enemies committing atrocities, inflaming centuries-old animosities.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2025
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After thousands of terrorists invaded Israel and committed mass atrocities, Hamas continued to commandeer aid, creating and taking advantage of a black market.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2025
Noun
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Hope is something that Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri can related to, having explored the dualities of hope and despair (as well as lightness and darkness, and fluidity and animalism) in her spring 2023 collection.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
WWD,
22 Jan. 2025
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All of a sudden, that animalism has been incarnated.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2024
Noun
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This strangeness causes all sorts of internal agitation, an uneasiness about humanity’s closeness to animality.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2025
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But also, something more intrinsic — something like her animality.—
Camille Bromley Gabra Zackman Krish Seenivasan David Mason,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutality.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutality. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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