BRUTALIZING Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

brutalizing

verb

present participle of brutalize

as in dehumanizing

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 abusing

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 brutalizing In 2022, two corrections officers at the Laurens County Detention Center in South Carolina were arrested and charged with brutalizing an inmate and using a GLOVE device to repeatedly stun them, CNN noted. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026 Each competitor was giving it their all with brutalizing chops, tough suplexes and going above and beyond to try to win that championship. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026 The same curriculum includes Prophet Muhammed’s history of brutalizing Christians and Jewish people — a framing that Muslim families and interfaith advocates found issue with in public comment. — Rachel Royster. Produced With Ai Assistance, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2026 While Roger Federer is depicted as James Bond, in a tux, elegant and wrinkle-free, Nadal is called Rambo, ripped and relentless, brutalizing the ball and opponents alike. — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026 Euthanasia decisions are already brutalizing for dog owners, and those decisions may become even more fraught. — Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026 The charge comes as some advocates and community members have clamored for Illinois officials to pursue criminal cases against immigration agents who have been accused of brutalizing city and suburban residents during their 64-day Operation Midway Blitz in the fall. — Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026 Art the Clown likes brutalizing women. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 7 Nov. 2025 He was fired a few years later over allegations of brutalizing a suspect in custody. — Omar Jimenez, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutalizing

Verb

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan five years ago ushered in an era of dehumanizing restrictions for women and girls.

— Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2026
My book was meant to highlight both the personal and societal issues of early literacy deprivation, while tracking the prescient issue of increasing screen time dumbing down and dehumanizing society.

— Liza Lentini, SPIN, 21 July 2026

Definition of dehumanizing

Verb

In addition to many successes, there is no record of his office abusing employees, leaking passwords, giving the public false information, or losing expensive reports.

— Krista Kafer, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2026
Roell was later accused of abusing nonverbal special-needs students at Crosby Elementary School, authorities said.

— Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of abusing

Verb

The Iranians are now setting the terms of this conflict and are routinely humiliating the American president.

— Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026
Instead of demanding personal fealty or humiliating them to assert personal dominance, Lincoln absorbed their egos and occasional slights, elevating their talents and turning his fiercest political adversaries into his most devoted champions.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026

Definition of humiliating

Verb

But, if not, then stop using the existence of those goals as a way of torturing yourself.

— Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026
Arabella’s adoptive mother, Leticia McCormack, and her parents, Adella and Stanley Tom, were arrested three months later and accused of torturing the young girl to death.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of torturing

Verb

Trump is also poisoning the process at a moment when the system for casting votes in the United States really does need shoring up.

— Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
An unknown person has been poisoning mature pine trees at Burnt Cedar Beach in Incline Village since 2022, with 16 more trees targeted this July and August — a case some suspect involves a wealthy resident trying to improve their view of Lake Tahoe.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of poisoning

Verb

But, said Vincent Joralemon, a director at UC Berkeley’s Center for Law & Technology, the states aren’t asking for Meta to be held liable over predatory or bullying messages on their own.

— Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2026
These numbers do not mean every disagreement counts as bullying.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of bullying

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“Brutalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutalizing. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of brutalizing

verb

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