brutal

brutal (ˈbruːt^əl)

—*adj*
1.	cruel; vicious; savage
2.	extremely honest or coarse in speech or manner
3.	harsh; severe; extreme: brutal cold

bru'tality

—n

'brutally

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

brutal

mid-15c., in reference to the nature of animals, from L. brutus (see brute) + -al (1). Of persons, "fierce," 1640s. Related: Brutally.

Slang Dictionary

brutal definition

mod.
excellent; powerful. : Man, what a brutal tune!

Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences

However, brutal honesty is better during situations such as emergency response

and planning.

Triage works when it addresses the arbitrariness of war and the brutal nature

of war reporting.

Thousands of political prisoners remain in jail, some of them serving

sixty-year terms in brutal conditions.

But the persistence of the brutal and dangerous custom, despite an official ban

and public-awareness campaigns, is disturbing.

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animal barbarity barbarous bloodthirsty brutalism butcher

Matching Quote

"The horror of class stratification, racism, and prejudice is that some people begin to believe that the security of their families and communities depends on the oppression of others, that for some to have good lives there must be others whose lives are truncated and brutal."

-Dorothy Allison