brutal
/ˈbruːt(ə)l
/adjective
1Savagely violent: a brutal murder...
- This, of course, completely ignores both the fact that a brutal violent dictatorship has been overthrown, and that a significant regional threat to stability has been removed.
- She was then murdered in a brutal and savage attack.
- The tragedy of the savage, brutal murders perpetrated on two young mothers a few years ago still lingers.
Synonyms
savage, cruel, bloodthirsty, vicious, ferocious, barbaric, barbarous, wicked, murderous, cold-blooded, hard-hearted, harsh;
ruthless, callous, heartless, merciless, pitiless, remorseless, sadistic, unfeeling;
inhuman, heinous, monstrous, abominable, atrocious, vile, infernal, uncivilized;
bestial, brutish, beastly, animal
1.1Unpleasant or harsh: the brutal morning light...
- Welcome the change from your peaceful existence to the harsh, brutal reality that is my world.
- It becomes nothing more than yet another idealisation of a brutal, unpleasant Truth.
- She turned, rubbing her head and squinting her eyes against the brutal morning sun.
1.2Direct and without attempting to disguise unpleasantness: the brutal honesty of his observations...
- Some weblogs, with their lacerating, brutal honesty, transport you to the extremities of human experience.
- But such brutal accountability is hard to find in the public sphere.
- His answer was brutal, harsher than he had ever meant.
Synonyms
unsparing, unstinting, unadorned, unembellished, unvarnished, bald, naked, stark, blunt, direct, straight, straightforward, frank, outspoken, forthright, plain-spoken;
heartless, severe;
complete, total, unequivocal, unambiguous
Origin
Late 15th century (in the sense 'relating to the lower animals'): from Old French, or from medieval Latin brutalis, from brutus 'dull, stupid' (see brute).