Word
brutally
Phoneticsbru·tal·ly
US/ˈbɹutəɫi/
UK/bɹˈuːtəli/
Definitions
01violently
adv. in a very violent, cruel, or physical way.
adv. in a manner characterized by extreme physical violence, cruelty, or lack of humanity.
“The peaceful protest was brutally broken up by the local police.”
“The dictator's regime was known for brutally suppressing any form of political dissent through arbitrary arrests and physical intimidation.”
Usage
Often used to describe physical attacks or the suppression of groups.
02very honestly
adv. in a way that is direct and honest, even if it is unpleasant or hurts someone's feelings.
adv. with uncompromising directness; used to describe honesty that does not attempt to spare the listener's feelings.
“I need you to be brutally honest with me about my singing.”
“The critic was brutally frank in her assessment of the play, noting that the lead actor seemed entirely disconnected from the script.”
Usage
Commonly collocates with 'honest', 'frank', or 'truthful'.
Antonyms
03extremely
adv. used to emphasize that something is very difficult, cold, or intense.
adv. used as an intensifier to denote an extreme or punishing degree of a quality.
“It was a brutally cold morning, and the car wouldn't start.”
“The marathon was held on a brutally hot day, forcing several elite runners to withdraw before reaching the halfway mark.”
Informal
Teaching tip
In this sense, 'brutally' suggests the intensity is so high it feels like a physical attack.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“This is our only chance, if I'm being brutally honest.” “In May, they made a series of social media posts brutally mocking the pursuit by the Spanish champions of their player to millions of followers.” Etymology
From brutal + -ly.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/brutally