noun
Meaning 1
The state of being brutal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
brutality
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˌbɹuːˈtælɪti/ without t-flapping
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[ˌbɹwʊu̯ˈthælɪthɪi̯] without t-flapping
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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/ˌbɹuːˈtælɪɾi/ t-flapping
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[ˌbɹuːˈtælɪɾɪi̯] t-flapping
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/ˌbɹuːˈtæləti/ without t-flapping
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[ˌbɹwʊu̯ˈthæləthɪi̯] without t-flapping
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/ˌbɹuːˈtæləɾi/ t-flapping
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[ˌbɹuːˈtæləɾɪi̯] t-flapping
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rhymes with -ælɪti
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CMU ARPABET: B R UW0 T AE1 L AH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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CMU ARPABET 2: B R UW0 T AE1 L IH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A cruel or savage act.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
The use of excessive physical force, often in the form of violence.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Examples
- police brutality
- school brutality
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
a brutal barbarous savage act
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: barbarity, barbarism, savagery
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: atrocity, inhumanity
noun
Meaning 5
the trait of extreme cruelty
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ferociousness, viciousness, savagery
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: cruelty, cruelness, harshness
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English brutal Proto-Indo-European *-teh2 Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh2ts Latin -itāsder. Old French -itebor. Middle English -ite English -ity English brutality From brutal + -ity.
Across languages
Translations
59 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: وحشية (Wahshiya) — state of being brutal
- Armenian: վայրագություն (vayragutʻyun) — state of being brutal
- Azerbaijani: zalımlıq — state of being brutal
- Catalan: brutalitat — state of being brutal
- Chechen: къизалла (qʼizalla) — state of being brutal
- Chinese Mandarin: 殘暴 /残暴 (cánbào) — state of being brutal
- Chinese Mandarin: 殘忍 /残忍 (cánrěn) — state of being brutal
- Chinese Mandarin: 野蠻 /野蛮 (yěmán) — state of being brutal
- Chinese Mandarin: 暴力 (bàolì) — state of being brutal
- Czech: brutalita — state of being brutal
- Dutch: wreedheid — state of being brutal
- Esperanto: brutaleco — state of being brutal
- Finnish: raakuus — state of being brutal
- Finnish: julmuus — state of being brutal
- Finnish: brutaalius — state of being brutal
- French: brutalité — state of being brutal
- Galician: brutalidade — state of being brutal
- German: Brutalität — state of being brutal
- Greek: αγριότητα (agriótita) — state of being brutal
- Ancient Greek: θηριότης (thēriótēs) — state of being brutal
- Hindi: बर्बरता (barbartā) — state of being brutal
- Hindi: क्रूरता (krūrtā) — state of being brutal
- Hindi: निर्ममता (nirmamtā) — state of being brutal
- Hungarian: brutalitás — state of being brutal
- Irish: brúidiúlacht — state of being brutal
- Italian: brutalità — state of being brutal
- Luxembourgish: Brutalitéit — state of being brutal
- Norwegian Bokmål: brutalitet — state of being brutal
- Norwegian Nynorsk: brutalitet — state of being brutal
- Polish: brutalizm — state of being brutal
- Polish: brutalność — state of being brutal
- Portuguese: brutalidade — state of being brutal
- Romanian: brutalitate — state of being brutal
- Russian: жесто́кость (žestókostʹ) — state of being brutal
- Russian: зве́рство (zvérstvo) — state of being brutal
- Scottish Gaelic: brùidealachd — state of being brutal
- Serbo-Croatian: брута́лно̄ст — state of being brutal
- Serbo-Croatian: brutálnōst — state of being brutal
- Spanish: brutalidad — state of being brutal
- Swedish: brutalitet — state of being brutal
- Ottoman Turkish: حیوانلق (hayvanlık) — state of being brutal
- Ukrainian: брутальність (brutalʹnistʹ) — state of being brutal
- Armenian: վայրագություն (vayragutʻyun) — cruel act
- Chinese Mandarin: 殘暴行為 /残暴行为 (cánbào xíngwéi) — cruel act
- Finnish: raakuus — cruel act
- Finnish: julmuus — cruel act
- Polish: okrucieństwo — cruel act
- Romanian: brutalitate — cruel act
- Ukrainian: бузувірство (buzuvirstvo) — cruel act
- Chinese Mandarin: 暴力 (bàolì) — use of excessive physical force
- Finnish: väkivalta — use of excessive physical force
- French: brutalité — use of excessive physical force
- German: Brutalität — use of excessive physical force
- Hungarian: brutalitás — use of excessive physical force
- Polish: brutalność — use of excessive physical force
- Romanian: brutalitate — use of excessive physical force
- Turkish: şiddet — use of excessive physical force
- Ukrainian: брутальність (brutalʹnistʹ) — use of excessive physical force
- Ukrainian: надмірність (nadmirnistʹ) — use of excessive physical force
Real reading context