How to Memorize

brutal attack, brutally honest

Analysis

The adjective brutal describes something extremely violent, direct or harsh. You might describe a violent attack as a 'brutal attack' or say someone was 'brutally honest' if they were honest in a direct way that hurt peoples feelings or caused people to become upset. A 'brutal review' of something might be a review which honestly and directly points out many flaws in something. In Irish slang, something described as 'brutal' means it was bad or terrible.

Social Examples (Basic)

1. Oh, my God, I can't believe he missed that goal! That was brutal!
2. He used to be a great player, but now he's just brutal.
3. A man died last night in a brutal attack outside his home.

Professional Examples (Basic)

1. To be brutally honest, the quality of your work has not reached my expectations. 
2. Well, if I'm brutally honest about the number of jobs that will be replaced by automation, we're looking at around 10,000 in the next five years.

Further Suggestions