brutal

CEFRC1

/ˈbɹuː.təl/

adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Very cruel, violent, or unpleasant.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Crude or unfeeling in manner or speech.

Examples

  • An overwhelming majority voted to abolish the brutal punishment.

  • The city was ruined by the brutal force of nature.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈbɹu.ɾəl]
  • [ˈbɹʉː.ɾəl]

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Harsh; unrelenting.

  2. Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel, often in an unintelligent manner.

  3. Disagreeably precise or penetrating.

More examples

In context

  • The game was brutal, but after a bloodbath he finally won.

  • brutal honesty

  • What began as a zeitgeisty outlaw romp in the Uncool Britannia of the 1990s is now reborn as a scabrous and brutal black comedy about middle-aged male disappointment and fear of death.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The winter storm was blank, causing widespread damage and power outages.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Medieval Latin brutalis (“savage, stupid”), from Latin brūtus (“dull, stupid”).