brutal

adjective
UK: /ˈbruːtl/
US: /ˈbruːtl/

  1. Extremely cruel and violent.

    1. The brutal dictator oppressed his people. [ ] [ ]
    2. The movie contained brutal scenes of violence that shocked many viewers. [ ] [ ]

  2. Unpleasantly harsh or direct in expression or effect.

    1. He gave a brutal assessment of my work. [ ] [ ]
    2. The team faced the brutal reality of their defeat after the final whistle. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

cruel savage vicious ruthless harsh severe
brutal adverb

  1. In an extremely cruel and violent manner.

    1. The soldiers fought brutally in the war. [ ] [ ]
    2. He was brutally honest about her chances of success in the competition. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "brutal" in English means: Extremely cruel and violent., Unpleasantly harsh or direct in expression or effect..

The phonetic transcription of "brutal" is /ˈbruːtl/ in British English and /ˈbruːtl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "brutal": cruel, savage, vicious, ruthless, harsh, severe.

Example usage of "brutal": "The brutal dictator oppressed his people.". More examples on the page.