bru·tal·ize (also brutalise British English) /ˈbruːtəl-aɪz/ verb [transitiveT] 1 EFFECT/INFLUENCEto affect someone so badly that they lose their normal human feelings 使残忍;使变无情 He was brutalized by his experiences in jail. 在狱中的经历使他变得冷酷无情。
2 CRUELto treat someone in a cruel or violent way 残酷对待,虐待 Demonstrators claimed they had been brutalized by police officers. 示威者称他们受到了警察的野蛮对待。
n Grammar Brutalize is usually passive.
—brutalization /ˌbruːtl-aɪˈzeɪʃən $ -tl-ə-/ noun [uncountableU]