cruelty
Americannoun
-
cruelties
plural
-
the state or quality of being cruel.
- Synonyms:
- atrocity, inhumanity, barbarity, ruthlessness, brutality, harshness
-
cruel disposition or conduct.
- Antonyms:
- kindness
-
a cruel act.
- Antonyms:
- kindness
-
Law. conduct by a spouse that causes grievous bodily harm or mental suffering.
noun
-
deliberate infliction of pain or suffering
-
the quality or characteristic of being cruel
-
a cruel action
-
law conduct that causes danger to life or limb or a threat to bodily or mental health, on proof of which a decree of divorce may be granted
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of cruelty
1175–1225; Middle English cruelte < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin crūdēlitāt- (stem of crūdēlitās ). See cruel, -ity
Explanation
Cruelty is a characteristic of deliberately causing someone pain. Years of cruelty by their leaders can cause citizens to rise up together and revolt. Keeping a dog tied up outside all day and all night is animal cruelty, while kids' endless bullying of a classmate is another kind of cruelty. In both examples, people act in a coldhearted way that causes another being to feel terrible. The Latin root of cruelty is crudelis, "rude, unfeeling, or hard-hearted," which is related to crudus, "rough, raw, or bloody," the root of crude.
Vocabulary lists containing cruelty
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
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Real-Life Superheroes
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The Subtle Knife
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He called on him to quit and injected further tales of alleged cruelty into the discussion.
From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2026
“To me, there’s a certain cruelty in that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
There is shock, anger and sorrow, as well as demands for laws against animal cruelty, which China currently does not have.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“You will not face this cruelty alone. This administration will stand alongside immigrant New Yorkers today, tomorrow, and every day that follows.”
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
Jody was not moved by an impulse of cruelty; he was bored with the long hot afternoon.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
I remember thinking her diatribe about the injustice of Hester Prynne’s shunning would segue into the cruelties Charles faced with the goal of inspiring someone to defy the blacklist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
But those cuts are less likely to matter to the polemicists who will not experience the institutionalized cruelties firsthand.
From Salon ● Nov. 4, 2024
But he also pointed to the cruelties of man.
From BBC ● May 13, 2024
Hedrick and Jerome, as homosexuals determined to flourish in a narrowly heteronormative culture, knew the myriad social controls and cruelties, casual and otherwise, that strangle daily life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
To make them realize that while we’re vulnerable to the Capitol’s cruelties, they are as well.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
