BRUTALLY Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

brutally

adverb

Definition of brutally

as in harshly

in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering the prisoners were treated brutally at the hands of the guards

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of brutally Ripped from their homelands, many were brutally beaten and forced to convert to Christianity. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026 Make The Restaurants Better The burger business has become brutally competitive and speed, accuracy, cleanliness, food quality and consistency are key to lure customers back to its stores. — Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 That concision is evident in an almost brutally economical edit and in sharp, precise writing which provides narrative elements and deftly sketches character before moving busily on. — Caspar Salmon, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026 The minors allegedly took Rehan to a secluded area where four people brutally stabbed him. — Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026 After a prolonged siege and fighting, the British recaptured Delhi and brutally suppressed the rebellion. — Aishwarya Lakshmi, The Conversation, 18 Aug. 2026 Student crackdown Jiang’s rise to the top began amid the tumult of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests, which were brutally crushed by Chinese troops in what remains one of the most sensitive political taboos in mainland China. — Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026 He was brutally tortured before being assigned his painting duties. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026 He was elevated to dictator to put the Republic back together—but he was brutally killed by members of the Senate in 44 bce. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutally

Adverb

And violations of public trust are typically judged quite harshly.

— Roger J. Kreuz, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026
Tariff Refunds Spark Political Debate Democratic lawmakers have harshly criticized corporations receiving millions in tariff refunds without passing those benefits on to consumers.

— Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of harshly

Adverb

But several of those affiliates have severely curtailed their operations since the federal funding was paused.

— CBS News, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Prior to those deaths, the US had not seen a measles death since 2015, when a woman with underlying conditions became severely ill.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of severely

Adverb

The summer had seen Europe endure an oppressively dry, hot summer, which had seen wildfires spring up across the continent.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
After a bit of a reprieve from an oppressively hot summer, another heat wave is set to scorch Southern California this week.

— Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of oppressively

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brutalizing

brutally

brute

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“Brutally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutally. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of brutally

adverb

Example Sentences

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