Brutality

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /bɹuːˈtælɪti/

Definitions

1. The quality of being savage, cruel, or violent in behavior or treatment toward others
2. savage and merciless conduct marked by extreme cruelty, violent force, and utter disregard for human suffering or dignity
3. The state of exhibiting extreme cruelty, merciless violence, and a total lack of compassion towards others

Etymology: Brutality is a simple formation: "brutal" plus the suffix "-ity", which turns an adjective into a noun for a quality or state. The adjective is the real story. It comes from Medieval Latin "brūtālis", built on the Latin adjective "brūtus", meaning heavy, dull or senseless, the sense of something without reason or feeling. That original meaning of lacking reason is what the modern sense of cruelty without regard for suffering grows out of. The Latin "brūtus" traces back to an Indo-European root associated with weight, which is why "brute" and "brutal" once carried the idea of being weighed down, unthinking, and beast-like rather than simply violent. Over time the emphasis shifted from dullness to the lack of restraint that makes an action savage.

Synonyms: cruelty, savagery, barbarity, ferocity, violence

Antonyms: kindness, gentleness, compassion, humanity, mercy