brutalising
Rendering someone cruel
Brutalising is the British spelling of brutalizing—the present participle of brutalise.
To brutalise is to make someone brutal through harsh treatment, or to treat them with savage cruelty: Years of warfare had brutalised the population.
The word suggests degradation of human feeling, whether in the victim or the perpetrator.
Fierce and untamed
- viciousCruelly aggressive in nature
- barbaricSavagely cruel, uncivilized
- cruelWillfully causing suffering
- mercilessShowing no clemency
beating · battering · pummeling · maiming · torture · assault · sadistic · inhuman
Lowering in worth
- dehumanizingDenying inherent worth
- desensitizingReducing responsiveness to stimulus
- hardeningBecoming less soft
- corruptingCausing moral decay
coarsening · numbing · warping · damaging · scarring · destroying · breaking · crushing
Extremely harsh or strict
- harshUnpleasantly severe or rough
- cruelWillfully causing suffering
- pitilessLacking any compassion
- unsparingShowing no leniency
punishing · grueling · relentless · unforgiving · grinding · crushing · oppressive · merciless
Instilling extreme fear
- menacingConveying threat or danger
- threateningExpressing intent to harm
- bullyingAggressive repeated intimidation
- domineeringAggressively asserting control
frightening · overbearing · coercion · pressuring · overpowering · cowing · subjugating · oppressing
savage
Fierce and untamed
- viciousCruelly aggressive in nature
- barbaricSavagely cruel, uncivilized
- cruelWillfully causing suffering
merciless · beating · battering · pummeling · maiming · torture · assault · sadistic · inhuman · ferocious
degrading
Lowering in worth
- dehumanizingDenying inherent worth
- desensitizingReducing responsiveness to stimulus
- hardeningBecoming less soft
corrupting · coarsening · numbing · warping · damaging · scarring · destroying · breaking · crushing · diminishing
severe
Extremely harsh or strict
unsparing · punishing · grueling · relentless · unforgiving · grinding · crushing · oppressive · merciless · callous
terrorizing
Instilling extreme fear
- menacingConveying threat or danger
- threateningExpressing intent to harm
- bullyingAggressive repeated intimidation
domineering · frightening · overbearing · coercion · pressuring · overpowering · cowing · subjugating · oppressing · persecuting
brutalisingcivilising
Bringing to refinement
civilizing · humanizing · humanising · refining · ennobling
brutalisingnurturing
Supportive care-giving
cherishing · protecting · caring for · comforting · dignifying