i Register
In some senses, brutal is marked as figuratively. Watch for register when choosing this word.
ADJ.
black, cold, enough, experienced, honest, later, pretty, received
The police officer gave a cold, brutal assessment of what happened that night.
VERB + BRUTAL
abolish, calculating, game, going, need, ruined, work
The going got brutal when the team fell behind by twenty points in the second half.
BRUTAL + NOUN
childhoods, comedy, conditions, honesty, murderer, nature, punishment, truth
She grew up in brutal conditions that shaped her entire outlook on life.
PREP.
about, after, after, from, from, in, out
The dictator was brutal in his treatment of political prisoners.
ADV.
ever, such
The heat last summer was such a brutal experience that we barely left the house.