1. 野蛮的；残暴的
    A brutal act or person is cruel and violent.

    e.g. He was the victim of a very brutal murder.
           他是一桩恶性谋杀案的受害者。
    e.g. ...the brutal suppression of anti-government protests...
           对反政府抗议的残酷镇压

2. 直截了当的；直言不讳的；直率的
    If someone expresses something unpleasant with brutal honesty or frankness, they express it in a clear and accurate way, without attempting to disguise its unpleasantness.

    e.g. It was refreshing to talk about themselves and their feelings with brutal honesty...
           他们直言不讳地谈论自己和自己的感受，让人觉得耳目一新。
    e.g. He took an anguished breath. He had to be brutal and say it.
           他痛苦地吸了口气，不得不坦言此事。

3. 残酷无情的；难以忍受的
    Brutal is used to describe things that have an unpleasant effect on people, especially when there is no attempt by anyone to reduce their effect.

    e.g. The dip in prices this summer will be brutal...
           今年夏天价格的大幅下跌将会很残酷。
    e.g. The afternoon sun had been brutal...
           下午的太阳酷热难挡。