BRUTALIZED Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

brutalized

verb

past tense of brutalize

as in humiliated

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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as in abused

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon Red Cross workers reported that prisoners had been brutalized

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of brutalized How many people will stay home rather than risk being racially profiled and brutalized? — Kica Matos, Time, 26 Aug. 2026 Described as a biting political thriller in the tradition of Wild in the Streets and V for Vendetta, The Hunted is set in a dystopian America where trans people are brutalized and erased to the margins of society. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 20 June 2026 Family Photo The family had fled the Congo after Carine, an activist, was brutalized for speaking out against the ruling regime. — Jim Axelrod, CBS News, 31 May 2026 The Original brutalized El Grande Americano II back inside the ring. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026 Enslaved people were often punished, beaten, or further brutalized for showing emotion, grieving openly or resisting in visible ways. — Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026 Nikitin was drugged and brutalized by his captors in the Soviet psychiatric prisons. — David Folkenflik, NPR, 15 Apr. 2026 However, human rights groups say migrants are being brutalized and pushed back illegally at EU borders, while legal protections are increasingly being hollowed out. — Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026 At night, Yusuf goes back to his village, where his family is regularly brutalized by the local authorities, led by the snarling protomillenarian Captain Wingate (played by Robert Aramayo, whom some will recognize as the young actor who scored an upset win at the BAFTAs last month for I Swear). — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalized

Verb

My husband was humiliated, he was degraded, and not able to defend himself.

— Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
Their time in Fiji was marked by endless drama, with Sincere often lying and leaving Melanie feeling humiliated on several occasions.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of humiliated

Verb

Furious season 1 wrapped up the case as Alice arrested Catherine at Jay Easton’s (Peter McRobbie) house — the site where Catherine and her friend Isabel (Larissa Campos) were abused.

— Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
That series revealed just how little many local police departments are doing to make sure street-camera data is not being abused.

— Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of abused

Verb

The petition argues Mays’ language during the trial revealed something deeper than a poor defense strategy — a worldview that dehumanized the man he was supposed to defend.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
The costume and the posture of the model in the photo drew comparisons online to images of the racist theatrical character Jim Crow, a staple in blackface minstrel shows, which dehumanized Black people.

— Star Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of dehumanized

Verb

King seemed stranded in a faraway world, tortured by a discomfort that no amount of affection could soothe.

— Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Hatami has spearheaded a number of high-profile cases against child abusers in Los Angeles, California, including the murder of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez, who was tortured and killed by his mother and her boyfriend.

— Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of tortured

Verb

The Fire turned up the pressure defensively in the paint and consistently bullied the Dream out of it.

— Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 29 Aug. 2026
View this post on Instagram Priscilla Villanueva said her son, Dakota Cabrera, has been bullied for wearing his hair in a braid, but seeing Pete do the same gives him hope.

— Marissa Armas, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of bullied

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“Brutalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalized. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of brutalized

verb

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