brutalbru‧tal /ˈbruːtl/ ●○○ adjective 
a brutal attack on a defenceless old man a brutal man► see thesaurus at cruel, violent2not pleasant and not sensitive to people’s feelings: He replied with brutal honesty.—brutally adverb: He was brutally murdered. If I’m brutally honest, I don’t like her dress.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a brutal dictator
- Carter was jailed for the brutal murder of a young mother of three.
- Some of the prison guards were brutal and corrupt.
- The brutal truth is that babies are starving to death there.
- The police are searching for the brutal attacker of a 98-year old woman.
- Three men were charged with the brutal murder.
- As Crabbe describes him, Grimes begins as a brutal product of harsh circumstances.
- It was so brutal, so sudden.
- It was the old mountain teaching another brutal lesson, that the mountain and its weather does not forgive a mistake.
- Jerry West and Mitch Kupchak have a brutal job.
- That's an extreme example of the volatility, but it shows how brutal the market has been, analysts said.
- The game had been brutal, the aggression often boiling over into mini-battles on the pitch between opposing players.
- There was a brutal note in his voice that puzzled me.
- They were officially internees, rather than prisoners, and life, although monotonous and full of deprivation, was not brutal.
THESAURUS
deliberately hurting people or making them suffer: · It was cruel to lock the dog in the garage all day.· Her father had been very cruel to her when she was a child.· a cruel, selfish woman
not feeling any pity and not caring about other people or their problems: · How could you be so heartless!· He was cold and heartless and had no concern for the welfare of his employees.
getting pleasure from making other people suffer: · a sadistic killer· a sadistic thing to do
extremely cruel, in a way that shocks people: · a barbaric punishment· a barbaric sport
very violent and cruel, especially by suddenly attacking someone and causing injury to them: · a vicious attack on an innocent man· Some dogs can be vicious.
very cruel and violent, in a way that shows no human feelings: · a brutal dictator· the brutal methods used by the secret police
inhumane conditions, treatment etc are not considered acceptable because they cause too much suffering: · the inhumane treatment of prisoners
a cold-blooded murder, attack etc is done without showing any feeling or pity for the person who is attacked. A cold-blooded killer kills people without showing any pity: · a woman's cold-blooded murder of her devoted husband· a cold-blooded psychopath
using force to hurt or kill people – used about people, crimes etc. Also used about films or books that contain a lot of violence: · a violent man who couldn’t control his temper· the increase in violent crime· The film is too violent to be shown to children.
violent and dangerous, and seeming to enjoy hurting people for no reason: · a vicious attack on an unarmed man· We were surrounded by a gang of vicious thugs, armed with knives.
using force or violence, but not causing serious injury: · Some of the boys were being a bit rough with the younger kids.· There were complaints about rough treatment by the police.
behaving in a way that is very cruel and violent, and showing no pity: · Idi Amin was a brutal dictator.· a particularly brutal murder· The prison guards were brutal and corrupt.
attacking people in a particularly cruel way – used about people and fighting, especially in news reports: · a savage killer· There was savage fighting in the capital Mogadishu.
a bloody battle or war is very violent and a lot of people are killed or injured: · a bloody civil war· The Russians were engaged in a bloody battle against the German army.
a ferocious attack or battle is extremely violent. Also used about animals that are likely to attack in a very violent way: · The two armies fought a ferocious battle.· a ferocious beast· It was the most ferocious attack I have ever seen.
a fierce animal or person looks frightening and likely to attack people: · A fierce dog stood growling at the gate.· Bears are always fierce when they have young.· fierce bodyguards
a bloodthirsty person enjoys watching violence. A bloodthirsty story contains a lot of violent scenes: · In Mexico, humans were sacrificed to bloodthirsty gods.· a bloodthirsty tale of revenge
showing or describing injuries, blood, death etc clearly and in detail: · a gory horror movie· The book was too gory for many readers.
Longman Language Activatorpeople and their behaviour someone who is violent attacks people physically, especially because this is part of their character. A violent action involves physical attacks on people: · My father was a violent man who couldn't control his temper.· There was a violent protest outside the court, and a police officer was injured.violent crime: · Everyone is worried about the increase in violent crime.turn violent (=suddenly start to behave violently): · Travellers to the country have been urged to avoid large crowds, which have occasionally turned violent in the past.
very cruel and violent, and without any pity: · The police are searching for the brutal attacker of a 98-year-old woman.· Some of the prison guards were brutal and corrupt.· a brutal dictatorbrutal murder/attack/killing etc: · Carter was jailed for the brutal murder of a young mother of three.
someone who is aggressive behaves in an angry way, and seems to want to fight or argue, often when this is a part of their character: · Some of the crowd were very aggressive, shouting and banging on windows.· Kids who play violent video games show much more aggressive behaviour than those who don't.
someone who is vicious is violent and dangerous and seems to enjoy hurting people for no reason: · We found ourselves surrounded by a gang of vicious young thugs, armed with belts, sticks and stones.· "It was a particularly vicious crime," a police spokesman said.vicious attack/assault : · Apparently the girl was the victim of a vicious sex attack.
hurting people in a particularly cruel way: · Police are hunting the savage killer of five men in South London.· There was savage fighting in and around the eastern border towns.· Fussell described the war as 'appallingly cruel and savage.'
a ferocious attack or fight is extremely violent: · It was one of the most ferocious attacks on prison officers I have ever seen.· Defence lawyers claimed that the shooting was a spontaneous reaction, ferocious, but not part of a plan.
using force or violence but not causing serious injury: · Some of the boys were being a bit rough with the younger kids.rough treatment/handling: · The hostages received some rough treatment during their long period of captivity.· The police have been criticized for their rough handling of the demonstrators.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY a brutal attack on a defenceless old man He replied with brutal honesty.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1very cruel and violentbrutal murder/attack/assault a brutal attack on a defenceless old man He replied with brutal honesty.· The vicious assault happened outside the man’s home.
· Police described it as an extremely violent attack.
(=violent and cruel)· He is wanted for the brutal murder of a young girl.
(=cruel and violent)· Many asylum seekers have fled from brutal regimes.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· It may not be long before more brutal solutions to this modern menace are enacted.· The rate of departure was probably even more brutal among those at home with a remote control in their hands.· The followers of Aenarion became ever more brutal, cruel and merciless, lost in a dream of endless slaughter.· They particularly enjoy dealing with Orcs as it gives them a chance to outwit their larger and more brutal cousins.· The clamp down became more brutal: opposition activists were attacked by hit squads and six key opposition leaders were rounded up.
· Equally, the most brutal and aggressive member of staff is often most admired by the inmates as well as being most deeply hated.· But the most brutal episode occurred at the Cite Herault, a residential suburb.· That is why she is kept in her place, if necessary by the most brutal oppression.
· Discipline was strict, often brutal.· As an ideology it thinly veneered our often brutal economic exploitation.
· It was so brutal, so sudden.· It was so brutal, and yet so matter of fact.
NOUN· Mr Purohit, a leading figure in the Hindu community, had been murdered, in a brutal attack.· Father finds son on ground after brutal attack.· Detectives spoke of their disgust at the brutal attack.
· Will the erstwhile crimson-lipped peroxide devil-doll, the very anti-Madonna, be raging with paranoia and brutal honesty on her next record?· And the brutal honesty of his observations is sometimes lost in the attempt to make the words themselves beautiful.
· The same reports say that intelligence ministry microphones planted inside their Tehran flat picked up the sound of their brutal murder.· No one knew whether the civil jury would hold the former football star liable for two brutal murders.
· Is it not time that the Government stopped selling arms to a country with such a brutal regime?
· The brutal suppression of the insurrection of the early 1980s was not an isolated incident.
a brutal attack on a defenceless old man a brutal man► see thesaurus at cruel, violent2not pleasant and not sensitive to people’s feelings: He replied with brutal honesty.—brutally adverb: He was brutally murdered. If I’m brutally honest, I don’t like her dress.