brutal

[ broot-l ]

adjective

1. savage; cruel; inhuman:

   a brutal attack on the village.

   Synonyms: barbarous, brutish, ferocious

   Antonyms: kind

2. crude; coarse:

   brutal language.

   Synonyms: uncivil, rough, rude, gross

3. harsh; ferocious:

   brutal criticism; brutal weather.

4. taxing, demanding, or exhausting:

   They're having a brutal time making ends meet.

5. irrational; unreasoning.
6. of or relating to lower animals.

   Synonyms: animal, beastly, bestial

   Antonyms: human

brutal

/ ˈbruːtəl /

adjective

1. cruel; vicious; savage
2. extremely honest or coarse in speech or manner
3. harsh; severe; extreme

   brutal cold

Derived Forms

• ˈbrutally, adverb
• bruˈtality, noun

Other Words From

• brutal·ly adverb
• hyper·brutal adjective
• hyper·brutal·ly adverb
• non·brutal adjective
• non·brutal·ly adverb
• over·brutal adjective
• over·brutal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of brutal¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin brūtālis; equivalent to brute ¹ + -al ¹

Synonym Study

See cruel.

Example Sentences

In 2019, Gabbard did also describe Assad as a "brutal dictator".

From BBC

“This kind of completely unhinged, brutal and horrible reaction is inevitable in the conditions under which we live,” he said.

From Salon

If they get even halfway toward the kind of mass deportation they talk about, for example, it’s going to be brutal and incredibly ugly — and will cost American taxpayers a lot of money.

From Salon

French military technology is being used in Sudan's brutal civil war in violation of a UN arms embargo, rights organisation Amnesty International has said.

From BBC

But Conservative peer Brady said planned "extreme redistribution" would "replace our brilliant but brutal meritocracy with the likelihood of a closed shop where survival not aspiration becomes a ceiling".

From BBC

Related Words

• barbarous
• callous
• ferocious
• harsh
• inhuman
• merciless
• rough
• rude
• ruthless
• savage
• severe
• vicious