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brutal Definition

bru·tal (bro̵̅o̅t'l)

adjective

  1. Obsolete of or belonging to beasts; animal
  2. like a brute; cruel and unfeeling; savage, violent, ruthless, etc.
  3. very harsh or rigorous a brutal winter
  4. plain and direct, although distressing in effect brutal facts

Etymology: ME & OFr < ML brutalis

brutal Related Forms
bru·tally adverb
brutal Synonyms

brutal

modif.

  1. Cruel

    pitiless, harsh, unmerciful; see cruel 1, 2.

  2. Crude

    coarse, unfeeling, rude; see crude 1. See syn. study at cruel.

brutal Usage Examples

Preposition: in

  • place: It's brutal in places, gory in places, and supernaturally creepy in places.

Adjective complement with noun phrase

  • make: Co-promoter Nicol said: " That was a tough match and the tournament schedule makes a brutal sport even more brutal.

Modifies a noun

  • dictator: And I don't find doing nothing while a brutal dictator kills millions to be noble.
  • dictatorship: Myanmar is ruled with an iron fist by a brutal military dictatorship, which has renamed the country Myanmar.
  • murder: There are few people who will not remember the brutal murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence in London in 1993.
  • killing: The text of the play is notable for the non-sensational descriptions of these brutal killings.
  • honesty: Her vocals roar out the literate, intelligent lyrics with brutal honesty.

Modifying Another Word

  • hilariously: Les Dennis, Mike McShane and Jeremy Edwards star in this hilariously brutal comedy examining our infatuation with fame... .
  • particularly: For women in the third world, life is particularly brutal.
  • sometimes: She was deeply in love with him despite his cruel and sometimes brutal treatment of her.
  • pretty: In the United States, they were pretty brutal about the movie, actually.
  • increasingly: It isn't long, however, before Esther begins carving new and increasingly brutal wounds into her body.
  • rather: RICHARD I do, but it's rather brutal: let the game handle it.

Used with adjective complement

  • seem: Seen from the east or west the architecture seems utterly brutal: sheer walls relieved only by a blind arch.
  • become: Society did not become more brutal in the developed democratic nations.
  • look: This was the sort of story the Germans wished to be true and they always swallowed it, even those who looked most brutal.
  • get: However, it does get more brutal, especially on the live offensives.
  • say: From about that date his method becomes much broader - one might almost say more brutal - and his color more vivid and daring.
  • follow: At her trial Mark Smeaton was the only man to speak against her and this was following brutal torture.

Browse dictionary entries near brutal

  1. brut
  2. Brussels sprout
  3. Brussels lace
  4. Brussels carpet
  5. Brussels
  6. brusquerie
  7. brusque
  8. brushy
  9. brushwork
  10. brushwood
  1. brutality
  2. brutalize
  3. brutally
  4. brute
  5. Brute-Force Crack
  6. brutish
  7. Brutus
  8. Bruxelles
  9. bruxism
  10. Bryan