
Brutalize
Severity Highlight
Use 'brutalize' to stress the extreme cruelty or harshness of the treatment received.

Journalists reported that the regime brutalized protestors without mercy.
Active Harm
'Brutalize' implies an active effort to inflict suffering or hardship on others.

The officers were accused of brutally brutalizing the unarmed man during the arrest.
Intensity
The word often describes situations worse than common neglect or mistreatment.

After being brutalized in captivity, the hostages were finally rescued.
Compare with
AbuseDamageDegradeHarmHumiliateInjureMaltreatMistreat
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