Brutalised

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To have experienced severe abuse or aggression that inflicts pain and suffering
2. To have been treated with extreme cruelty, causing intense physical or emotional suffering
3. Experiencing aggressive or ruthless behavior that results in significant harm or distress

Etymology: "Brutalised" is the past form of "brutalise," which is formed from "brutal" plus the suffix "-ise," a verb-forming ending taken from Greek through Latin and French. The adjective "brutal" came into English from Medieval Latin "brutalis," which was built from Latin "brutus," meaning heavy, dull, or senseless, and in its original sense it described something lacking reason rather than something savage. The sense of cruelty grew out of that idea of the unthinking or animal. The verb itself is a plain, relatively late formation: English speakers took the adjective and added "-ise," so "brutalise" means to make someone or something brutal, or to treat them that way. The "-ise" ending traces back through Middle French and Late Latin to Ancient Greek "-izein," a common pattern for turning nouns and adjectives into verbs, which is why the same ending appears in words like "civilise" and "modernise."

Synonyms: tortured, maltreated, abused, victimized, oppressed

Antonyms: protected, defended, rescued, coddled, pampered