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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Recent Examples of brutally
Expect brutally honest exchanges around money, trust and intimacy.
—
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
However, as Fatu's entrance music played, cameras cut backstage to reveal he had been brutally attacked.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
At age 80, Skull was brutally attacked during a robbery and died after having his throat slashed and being struck with a bottle.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
Just six minutes later, Wells gives the ball away and is punished brutally as Rhys Oates curls home a superb effort from just inside the box.
—Kaya Kaynak, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
And the silence is brutally enforced by the community itself.
—Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Scott’s death has been compared to that of Matthew Shepard, the young gay American brutally beaten and left to die in Wyoming, in 1998, who became an emblem for a reckoning with anti-gay violence.
—Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Just two years ago, Tyre Nichols, 29, was brutally beaten by five Memphis police officers during a 2023 traffic stop near his home.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2025
Meredith gets brutally attacked by a patient and spends most of the episode unable to talk.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2025
However, as Fatu's entrance music played, cameras cut backstage to reveal he had been brutally attacked.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
At age 80, Skull was brutally attacked during a robbery and died after having his throat slashed and being struck with a bottle.
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 21 Oct. 2025
Just six minutes later, Wells gives the ball away and is punished brutally as Rhys Oates curls home a superb effort from just inside the box.
—Kaya Kaynak, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
And the silence is brutally enforced by the community itself.
—Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Scott’s death has been compared to that of Matthew Shepard, the young gay American brutally beaten and left to die in Wyoming, in 1998, who became an emblem for a reckoning with anti-gay violence.
—Eren Orbey, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Just two years ago, Tyre Nichols, 29, was brutally beaten by five Memphis police officers during a 2023 traffic stop near his home.
—Curtis Bunn, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2025
Meredith gets brutally attacked by a patient and spends most of the episode unable to talk.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brutally
Adverb
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This can range from where to stand to create passing lanes to how quickly or slowly to travel in possession — as Elliott harshly discovered against Sunderland.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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The chamber has harshly criticized the proposal on its website and in mass texts.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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The free-trade agenda sought to deregulate the labor market and prioritize market efficiency, strengthening the hands of employers and severely weakening union and social movements, as anti-free traders had predicted.—
Dónal Gill,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
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And with an additional 100 percent tariff imposed on Chinese imports, China’s economy would be severely slowed.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
27 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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The second planet from the sun has a completely inhospitable surface, with temperatures reaching 863 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius) and a crushing pressure underneath an oppressively thick atmosphere.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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On an oppressively hot Friday in July, plumes of smoke curl up from Arnolds Field.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
15 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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When daylight savings ends next week, dragging yourself out of bed will likely feel even harder.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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But economists say recruiting young people will get harder nationwide as smaller families continue to transform the American population.—
Sarah McCammon,
NPR,
27 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brutally.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brutally. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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