brutal
brutal Lexical Profile
brutal Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Savagely violent, cruel, or ruthless, showing no mercy or compassion.
"Historians documented the brutal treatment of prisoners during the nineteenth-century conflict."
Extremely unpleasant, rigorous, or punishingly difficult to endure (especially of weather, working conditions, or an experience).
"The marathon runners faced a brutal climb up the steep mountain pass in freezing rain."
Direct, unsparing, and uncompromisingly harsh in truth or criticism, without any attempt to soften the impact.
"With brutal honesty, the editor pointed out every structural flaw in the manuscript."
• Rhymes for brutal
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 15th century from Middle French brutal, from Late Latin brutalis ('of or like a beast'), derived from classical Latin brutus ('heavy, dull, irrational').