brutalised
Treated with violence
Brutalised is the British spelling of brutalized, the past tense of brutalize.
To brutalize is to treat someone with savage cruelty, or to make someone brutal through exposure to violence: Years of war had brutalised the population.
The word suggests a degradation of humanity—either in the victim through abuse, or in the perpetrator through repeated acts of violence.
Unfairly harmed or mistreated
- beatenHaving lost a contest
- assaultedSubjected to physical harm
- batteredDamaged by repeated blows
- attackedActed aggressively against
tortured · abused · traumatised · harmed · injured · wounded · savaged · mauled
Made unresponsive through exposure
- hardenedMade tough or unfeeling
- numbedDeprived of sensation
- traumatisedEmotionally damaged by experience
- damagedMade worse by injury
scarred · broken · corrupted · coarsened · callous · dehumanised · emotionally · warped
Treated with cruel control
- dehumanisedDenied basic dignity
- exploitedUnfairly utilized for benefit
- subjugatedBrought under control
- persecutedSubjected to hostile treatment
marginalised · colonised · enslaved · degraded · downtrodden · disenfranchised · suppressed · dominated
Those engaged in warfare
- soldiersMilitary personnel who fight
- civiliansNon-military population
- prisonersIncarcerated individuals
- POWsCaptured military personnel
torture · interrogation · war crimes · atrocities · genocide · massacre · occupation · conflict
victimised
Unfairly harmed or mistreated
attacked · tortured · abused · traumatised · harmed · injured · wounded · savaged · mauled · pummelled
desensitised
Made unresponsive through exposure
- hardenedMade tough or unfeeling
- numbedDeprived of sensation
- traumatisedEmotionally damaged by experience
damaged · scarred · broken · corrupted · coarsened · callous · dehumanised · emotionally · warped · twisted
oppressed
Treated with cruel control
- dehumanisedDenied basic dignity
- exploitedUnfairly utilized for benefit
- subjugatedBrought under control
persecuted · marginalised · colonised · enslaved · degraded · downtrodden · disenfranchised · suppressed · dominated · tyrannised
combatants
Those engaged in warfare
- soldiersMilitary personnel who fight
- civiliansNon-military population
- prisonersIncarcerated individuals
POWs · torture · interrogation · war crimes · atrocities · genocide · massacre · occupation · conflict · casualties
brutalisedhumanized
Made more human-like
ennobled · uplifted · healed · rehabilitated · restored
brutalisedcivilised
Socially refined, well-mannered
refined · cultivated · gentled · tamed · domesticated