In 1511, leaders in Mecca believed coffee stimulated radical thinking and outlawed the drink. In 1524, the leaders overturned that order, and people could drink coffee again.
BRUTAL
brutal
(adjective) disagreeably direct and precise; “he spoke with brutal honesty”
barbarous, brutal, cruel, fell, roughshod, savage, vicious
(adjective) (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering; “a barbarous crime”; “brutal beatings”; “cruel tortures”; “Stalin’s roughshod treatment of the kulaks”; “a savage slap”; “vicious kicks”
beastly, bestial, brute, brutish, brutal
(adjective) resembling a beast; showing lack of human sensibility; “beastly desires”; “a bestial nature”; “brute force”; “a dull and brutish man”; “bestial treatment of prisoners”
brutal, unrelenting
(adjective) punishingly harsh; “the brutal summer sun”; “a brutal winter”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
brutal (comparative more brutal, superlative most brutal)
Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel
Crude or unfeeling in manner or speech.
Harsh; unrelenting
Disagreeably precise or penetrating
(music, figuratively) In extreme metal, to describe the speed of the music and the density of riffs.
Synonyms
• barbaric
• cold-blooded
• savage
• vicious
Antonyms
• gentle
• kind
Anagrams
• Brault
Source: Wiktionary
Bru"tal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. brutal. See Brute, a.]
1. Of or pertaining to a brute; as, brutal nature. "Above the rest of brutal kind." Milton.
2. Like a brute; savage; cruel; inhuman; brutish; unfeeling; merciless; gross; as, brutal manners. "Brutal intemperance." Macaulay.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
16 June 2025
WINEBERRY
(noun) raspberry of China and Japan having pale pink flowers grown for ornament and for the small red acid fruits
Coffee Trivia
