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 Allegations of abuse, inmates being brutalized by jailers, and dire conditions have plagued the facility for years, leading some county leaders, former sheriffs and civil rights advocates to call for the jail to be closed. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Because they’ve been brutalized by the same machinery of repression. — Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalized

Verb

However, Rob Shuter is reporting that Meghan believes Kate purposefully humiliated her by recently taking Princess Charlotte on the London Underground.

— Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 15 Oct. 2026
His daughter is humiliated, and the message could not be clearer.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of humiliated

Verb

The act also has been sorely abused and used as a tool to stop projects, particularly housing.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
In 2023, the Illinois attorney general released a detailed report that identified 451 Catholic priests and religious brothers who the investigation found had abused at least 1,997 children across the state’s six Catholic dioceses.

— Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of abused

Verb

Palestinians have been systematically dehumanized, along with the broader Arab and Muslim world, to serve the foreign policy objectives of governments without questioning the moral and legal implications.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of dehumanized

Verb

Rau, wondering if his patients had been poisoned somehow, had his staff check the kitchen for contamination.

— D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Its death, poisoned by anti-freeze in April 2020 during Spain’s COVID confinement, sparks on screen and real-life the first criminal investigation in Spain and Europe for an animal’s slaughter.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of poisoned

Verb

The opening episode depicts her deep bond with young Jason (Callum Vinson), an outsider who has significant health issues and is bullied by other kids.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
James McAvoy recalls his first day on the set of Band of Brothers and says a co-star bullied him.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of bullied

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“Brutalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalized. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of brutalized

verb

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