Dictionary

brutal en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• [ˈbɹu.ɾəl] (Canada, US)
• /ˈbɾɪʊtəl/ (Wales)
• /ˈbɹuːtəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈbɻʉtəl/ (Northern-Ireland)
• /ˈbɹu.təl/ (Canada, US)
• /ˈbɹʉːtəl/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• /ˈbɹʉwtəl/ (British, Southern, Standard)
• /ˈbɾʉtəl/ (Scotland)
• [ˈbɹʉːɾəl] (Australia, New-Zealand)

Etymology

From Medieval Latin brutalis (“savage, stupid”), from Latin brūtus (“dull, stupid”).

Meanings

1. Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel, often in an unintelligent manner.
   • The game was brutal, but after a bloodbath he finally won.
   • What began as a zeitgeisty outlaw romp in the Uncool Britannia of the 1990s is now reborn as a scabrous and brutal black comedy about middle-aged male disappointment and fear of death. 2017 January 19, Peter Bradshaw, “T2 Trainspotting review – choose a sequel that doesn't disappoint”, in the Guardian:
2. Crude or unfeeling in manner or speech.
3. Harsh; unrelenting.
4. Disagreeably precise or penetrating.
5. (figuratively) In extreme metal, to describe the speed of the music and the density of riffs.
6. Direct and without attempt to disguise unpleasantness.
   • brutal honesty

Forms

Antonyms

gentle · kind

Deriveds

brutalism · brutalisation · brutalize · overbrutal · nonbrutal · brutalitarian · brutalist · Brutalist · brutalise · brutalness · Brutalism

Relateds

brutish · brutally · brute · brutality

Synonyms

uncouth · heartless · uncivil · inhuman · pitiless · dour · unbenevolent · unmerciful · blunt · heathenish · savage · inclement · diabolical · grim · wolfish · stonehearted · tough · unyielding · callous · inhumane · hardened · insensate · uncivilized · animalistic · insensitive · grim · savage · hard · barbarous · Gothic · heathen · bowelless · unkind · ruthless · truculent · merciless · barbarous · unpitiful · rockhearted · incivil · flint-hearted · brutish · severe · barbaric · despiteful · spiteful · barbarian · compassionless · stonyhearted · uncultivated · truculent · icy · hardhanded · cold-eyed · marble-hearted · brutal · rotten · unbenign · flagitious · forbidding · blunt · hardhearted · unmoved · cruel · incessive · harsh · hard-boiled · barbarious · diabolic · brusque · strict · cold · uplandish · nasty · cruel · iron-hearted · rigorous · callous · unpitying · severe · sadistic · brutal · heathenly · fell · remorseless · tenebrose · humorless · unsubtle · demonic · stern · uncultured · savage · Gothlike · thick-skinned · frosty · nonhumane · stony · truculent · pagan · barbaric · unsympathetic · barbarous · malicious · brutal · cold-blooded · heathenous

Translations (56)

ca brutal (savagely violent) · ka სასტიკი (savagely violent) · hi बर्बर (savagely violent) · uk жорсто́кий (savagely violent) · az qəddar (savagely violent) · uk брута́льний (savagely violent) · be брута́льны (savagely violent) · lv dzīvniecisks (savagely violent) · it brutale (savagely violent) · hu brutális (savagely violent) · pt brutal (in heavy metal, to describe the speed of the music and the density of riffs) · nrf bruta (savagely violent) · el κτηνώδης (savagely violent) · ru зве́рский (savagely violent) · es brutal (savagely violent) · gl brutal (savagely violent) · az rəhmsiz (savagely violent) · ro brutal (savagely violent) · pl brutalny (savagely violent) · de brutal (savagely violent) · hi क्रूर (savagely violent) · hy վայրագ (savagely violent) · be жо́рсткі (savagely violent) · az mərhəmətsiz (savagely violent) · hy դաժան (savagely violent) · mi maukino (savagely violent) · eo brutala (savagely violent) · lt žvėriškas (savagely violent) · ja 残酷 (savagely violent) · cmn 殘忍 /残忍 (savagely violent) · nl bruut (savagely violent) · ka არაადამიანური (savagely violent) · de brutal (in heavy metal, to describe the speed of the music and the density of riffs) · mi tunuhuruhuru (savagely violent) · fr brutal (savagely violent) · bg зве́рски (savagely violent) · tr gaddar (savagely violent) · fi kova (savagely violent) · mi tūkino (savagely violent) · gd brùideil (savagely violent) · ka უხეში (savagely violent) · ru жесто́кий (savagely violent) · cmn 野蠻 /野蛮 (savagely violent) · ka მხეცური (savagely violent) · fi brutaali (savagely violent) · ota خشین (savagely violent) · ru брута́льный (savagely violent) · az amansız (savagely violent) · lv brutāls (savagely violent) · sv brutal (savagely violent) · fi raaka (savagely violent) · az zalım (savagely violent) · el ζωώδης (savagely violent) · bg жесто́к (savagely violent) · pt brutal (savagely violent) · ga brúidiúil (savagely violent)