1. to treat someone in a cruel and violent way
Usage: British spelling
2. to make someone become cruel or insensitive through harsh treatment or exposure to violence
Usage: British spelling

Examples

• The prisoners were brutalised by their captors.
• Years of war had brutalised the soldiers.
• The documentary showed how poverty can brutalise entire communities.
• He was brutalised as a child and never recovered from the trauma.
• The harsh conditions brutalised even the kindest guards.
• She refused to let her experiences brutalise her spirit.