theater of cruelty
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of theater of cruelty
1950–55; translation of French théâtre de la cruauté
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.
The ideas set her on fire, and they are certainly better than the theater of cruelty that is Peter’s court.
From Slate ● May 15, 2020
He was inspired by Antonin Artaud, a 20th century French dramatist who conceptualized a theater of cruelty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2019
“What level of poetry and abstraction are we dealing with in this case, as opposed to balls-to-the-wall theater of cruelty and violence? And who knows who’s going to be in the audience and seeing this?”
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2019
This harshly lighted theater of cruelty is the dramatic heart of “Monday Mornings.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 30, 2013
Jean-Claude van Itallie melds pop art and the theater of cruelty as he leads his audience through a modern Inferno of cocktail parties, urban herds, politics, psychoanalytic jargon and motels.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
