brutalize

[ broot-l-ahyz ]

verb (used with object)

, bru·tal·ized, bru·tal·iz·ing.

1. to make brutal.
2. to treat (someone) with brutality.

brutalize

/ ˈbruːtəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to make or become brutal
2. tr to treat brutally

Derived Forms

• ˌbrutaliˈzation, noun

Other Words From

• brutal·i·zation noun
• over·brutal·i·zation noun
• over·brutal·ize verb (used with object) overbrutalized overbrutalizing
• un·brutal·ize verb (used with object) unbrutalized unbrutalizing

Word History and Origins

Origin of brutalize¹

First recorded in 1695–1705; brutal + -ize

Example Sentences

Trump has also fantasized about his own version of “the Purge” where his police and other right-wing street thugs can run amok, killing and brutalizing “the enemy” at will.

From Salon

And while the Cavs blitzed the Lakers from three early, it was their transition and interior defense that ended up getting most brutalized.

From Los Angeles Times

Trump has repeatedly promised to make police literally above the law by making them immune from being held accountable for brutalizing the public.

From Salon

The central deviation is that this “Speak No Evil,” with its more pronounced humor and catharsis, treats the other film’s scenario as a ghastly comedy of manners rather than as a brutalizing, unheroic descent.

From Los Angeles Times

Family separation made orphans of thousands of little children and babies, and brutalized their desperate mothers and fathers.

From Salon

Related Words

• maltreat
• mistreat
• torment