brutalize

/ˌbrudlˈaɪz/
IPA guide

Other forms: brutalized; brutalizing; brutalizes

Definitions of brutalize
  1. verb
    treat brutally
    synonyms: brutalise
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    type of:
    do by, handle, treat
    interact in a certain way
  2. verb
    make brutal, unfeeling, or inhuman
    “Life in the camps had brutalized him”
    synonyms: animalise, animalize, brutalise
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    type of:
    alter, change, modify
    cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
  3. verb
    become brutal or insensitive and unfeeling
    synonyms: animalise, animalize, brutalise
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    type of:
    change
    undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘brutalize'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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Vocabulary lists containing brutalize

We're not asking, we're demanding: Vocabulary from "Selma," the movie

Although the words attributed to the historical figures captured in the film "Selma" -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Governor George Wallace of Alabama, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and President Lyndon B. Johnson -- were created by film creator Ava DuVernay and screenwriter Paul Webb for the purposes of the film, they carry the meaning, cadence, and certainly the vocabulary of their time.

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