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

He was found guilty in June this year of torture, overseeing public amputations by machete and the brutal floggings of residents, including children.

From BBC

Certainly, there could have been a more straightforward adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s acclaimed novel about the friendship between two Black boys at a brutal Florida reform school in the early 1960s.

From Los Angeles Times

Earlier this month, Qatar announced that it had paused its efforts to broker a Gaza ceasefire and said they would only resume “when the parties show willingness and seriousness to end the brutal war”.

From BBC

Israel’s brutal war of retaliation has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, injured many more and destroyed most of the coastal enclave’s infrastructure.

From Los Angeles Times

It found that Smyth was an "appalling abuser of children and young men. His abuse was prolific, brutal and horrific".

From BBC

Related Words

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