brutal
Americanadjective
-
savage; cruel; inhuman.
a brutal attack on the village.
- Antonyms:
- kind
-
crude; coarse.
brutal language.
-
harsh; ferocious.
brutal criticism; brutal weather.
-
taxing, demanding, or exhausting.
They're having a brutal time making ends meet.
-
irrational; unreasoning.
-
of or relating to lower animals.
- Antonyms:
- human
adjective
-
cruel; vicious; savage
-
extremely honest or coarse in speech or manner
-
harsh; severe; extreme
brutal cold
Related Words
See cruel.
Other Word Forms
- brutality noun
- brutally adverb
- hyperbrutal adjective
- hyperbrutally adverb
- nonbrutal adjective
- nonbrutally adverb
- overbrutal adjective
- overbrutally adverb
Etymology
Origin of brutal
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin brūtālis; equivalent to brute 1 + -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I was two days into the Gobi March, a brutal 155-mile ultramarathon through the steppes, sand dunes and rock valleys of Central Mongolia.
Many of the group’s leadership came of age as soldiers fighting in the brutal war against Iraq in the 1980s, an era that cemented its central role in supporting the regime.
Yet, before she passes her high school threshold and dives into the brutal deep end of upper secondary education, it’s all cool.
From Salon
Iranian students are reviving protests against the Islamic Republic, bringing cohesion to the movement after a brutal crackdown.
Coming so soon after 1776, France’s revolution has always served as the brutal counterpoint to America’s.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
