brutalize

/ˈbruːtəlaɪz/
verb
  1. To make someone cruel, violent, or insensitive, especially through harsh treatment or experience.
    • The constant exposure to violence in the media can brutalize young viewers.
    • The harsh training regimen was designed to brutalize recruits and break their spirit.
    • Years of poverty and hardship had brutalized him, making him distrust everyone.
  2. To treat someone in a cruel or violent way.
    • The prisoners were brutalized by the guards for minor infractions.
    • The documentary showed how the colonizers brutalized the indigenous people.
    • The gang brutalized anyone who refused to pay protection money.
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