brutality

[ broo-tal-i-tee ]

noun

, plural bru·tal·i·ties.

1. the quality of being brutal; cruelty; savagery.
2. a brutal act or practice.

Other Words From

• over·bru·tali·ty noun plural overbrutalities

Word History and Origins

Origin of brutality¹

First recorded in 1540–50; brutal + -ity

Example Sentences

The Post-ABC News poll finds that a bare majority of Wisconsin voters support the protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

From Washington Post

That we thought we had moved past that, as a kid we saw a lot of brutality from communities and policemen and we felt like we had moved past that.

From Essence.com

A few years ago, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who is bi-racial, took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality.

From Freakonomics

Floyd’s death sparked a nationwide protest movement against police brutality that continues.

From Washington Blade

Still, some academics who have studied the phenomenon in recent years see evidence that rising rates of violence in cities that have experienced high-profile incidents of police brutality are driven by police pullbacks.

From ProPublica

But along with the cartoon funk is an all-too-real story of police brutality embodied by a horde of evil Pigs.

From The Daily Beast

“The Wizard of Watts is not just about police brutality,” he says.

From The Daily Beast

The whir of the circling NYPD helicopter muffled their chants calling for unity and calling out police brutality.

From The Daily Beast

"We're not anti-police, we're anti-police brutality," a member of the Justice League told the crowd, to cheers.

From The Daily Beast

They contend that the protests are not anti-police brutality, but anti-police, period.

From The Daily Beast

Politeness, being based upon real kindness of heart, cannot exist where there is selfishness or brutality to warp its growth.

From Project Gutenberg

But the longest red-letter day has its ending, and time and tide beckon one with the brutality of an impatient jailer.

From Project Gutenberg

Winston shivered a little at the dispassionate brutality of the speech, and then checked the anger that came upon him.

From Project Gutenberg

His passion for her surged up, aroused by pity for her plight, and awakened in him a sense of his brutality.

From Project Gutenberg

That young fellow only came yesterday, and you must needs run foul of him and half kill him with your brutality to-day.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• atrocity
• barbarism
• barbarity
• cruelty
• inhumanity
• savagery