cruel to be kind

Cultural  

1. To be “cruel to be kind” is to cause someone pain for his or her own good. The phrase is used by Hamlet after he has berated his mother for her infidelity to the memory of her deceased husband.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cruel to be kind

"You have to be cruel to be kind, and this is the pure example of it."

From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2024

Sometimes you've got to be cruel to be kind.

From New York Times ● Mar. 3, 2018

It’s a tough break, but, you know, cruel to be kind and all that.

From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2013

Ultimately, Messrs. Jobs and Gates's lessons to managers aren't about being cruel to be kind or successful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2012

Justice is so often cruel, Miss Duggan," he said quietly, "and to men in my profession we have so often to be cruel to be kind.

From The Riddle of the Spinning Wheel by Hanshew, Mary E.