What does brutal mean?

Definitions for brutal
ˈbrut lbru·tal

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word brutal.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. barbarous, brutal, cruel, fell, roughshod, savage, viciousadjective

    (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering

    "a barbarous crime"; "brutal beatings"; "cruel tortures"; "Stalin's roughshod treatment of the kulaks"; "a savage slap"; "vicious kicks"

  2. brutal, unrelentingadjective

    harsh

    "the brutal summer sun"; "a brutal winter"

  3. beastly, bestial, brute(a), brutish, brutaladjective

    resembling a beast; showing lack of human sensibility

    "beastly desires"; "a bestial nature"; "brute force"; "a dull and brutish man"; "bestial treatment of prisoners"

  4. brutaladjective

    disagreeably direct and precise

    "he spoke with brutal honesty"

Wiktionary

  1. brutaladjective

    Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel

  2. brutaladjective

    Crude or unfeeling in manner or speech.

  3. brutaladjective

    Harsh; unrelenting

  4. brutaladjective

    Disagreeably precise or penetrating

  5. brutaladjective

    In extreme metal, to describe the speed of the music and the density of riffs.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Brutaladjective

    Etymology: brutal, Fr. from brute.

    There is no opposing brutal force to the stratagems of human reason. Roger L'Estrange.

    The brutal bus’ness of the war
    Is manag’d by thy dreadful servants’ care. Dryden.

ChatGPT

  1. brutal

    Brutal refers to behavior or actions that are extremely cruel, violent, harsh, or severe. It can also describe a situation or conditions that are extremely unpleasant or discomforting.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Brutaladjective

    of or pertaining to a brute; as, brutal nature

  2. Brutaladjective

    like a brute; savage; cruel; inhuman; brutish; unfeeling; merciless; gross; as, brutal manners

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of brutal in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of brutal in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of brutal in a Sentence

  1. Charlton Rhee .:

    It was brutal. I cried every night, on top of the effects of the pandemic, I have to be super careful if I venture out to go shopping or consider twice before taking public transportation because for some reason, I am a target.

  2. One Angel mother:

    Josh was brutally tortured, strangled over and over, set on fire after death. His last hours were brutal. None of our kids had a minute to say goodbye, we weren’t lucky enough to be separated for five days or 10 days. We are separated permanently.

  3. Tom Andrews:

    It's just horrific, it's horrific, it's outrageous, it's completely unacceptable and the international community should be up in arms, that's the brutal reality we're facing in this country and most importantly that the people of the Myanmar are facing.

  4. David Jolly:

    His brutal, bullying bigotry runs contrary to the very principles our forefathers fought so hard to defend.

  5. Richard Burr:

    It's amazing what happens when people are reminded what terrorists can do, the American people recognize that the indiscriminate, brutal acts that (the Islamic State) carried out could happen in any community across this country and throughout the world. And I think as Americans, we believe we should do everything we can to eliminate that. … I want to make sure that the tools that law enforcement have are as robust as they possibly can be.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for brutal

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"brutal." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 21 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/brutal>.

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    cause to be embarrassed; cause to feel self-conscious
    A abash
    B transpire
    C cleave
    D affront

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