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Definitions

brutal

[broot-l] / ˈbrut l /
ADJECTIVE
cruel, remorseless
Synonyms
STRONGEST
barbarous callous ferocious harsh inhuman merciless rough rude ruthless savage severe vicious
WEAK
bloodthirsty gruff hard heartless impolite insensitive pitiless remorseless uncivil uncivilized unfeeling unmannerly unmerciful
Antonyms
STRONGEST
calm civilized compassionate courteous easy friendly gentle giving kind mild nice polished polite refined smooth sophisticated sympathetic tame temperate tender
WEAK
generous humane
ADJECTIVE
crude, rough
Synonyms
STRONGEST
inhuman inhumane rude savage
WEAK
animal bearish beastly bestial brute brutish carnal coarse feral ferine swinish unfeeling
Antonyms
STRONGEST
kind nice
WEAK
generous gentle humane

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.

Layoffs have been a brutal reality across the entertainment industry for the past few years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Investors are rotating back to momentum stocks after a brutal March.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

The practice has deep roots in incel forums and the broader manosphere, where appearance is treated as destiny and social life is reduced to a brutal, pseudo-Darwinian hierarchy.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

A top Fidesz official grudgingly admitted that Magyar has "a brutal energy", which his own camp often lacks.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

And now those eyes were looking down at the last landscape they’d ever see: a barren slope of brutal tumbled rocks, and beyond it a forest on fire.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman