cruel

[kroo-uhl]

adjective

crueler, cruelest 

1. willfully or knowingly causing pain or distress to others.

   Synonyms: relentless, merciless, ferocious, bloodthirsty
   Antonyms: kind

2. enjoying the pain or distress of others.

   the cruel spectators of the gladiatorial contests.

   Antonyms: compassionate, sympathetic

3. causing or marked by great pain or distress.

   a cruel remark;

   a cruel affliction.

4. rigid; stern; strict; unrelentingly severe.

cruel

/ ˈkruːəl /

adjective

1. causing or inflicting pain without pity

   a cruel teacher

2. causing pain or suffering

   a cruel accident

Other Word Forms

• cruelly adverb
• cruelness noun
• uncruel adjective
• uncruelly adverb
• uncruelness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cruel¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin crūdēlis, equivalent to crūd(us) ( crude ) + -ēlis, adjective suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of cruel¹

C13: from Old French, from Latin crūdēlis, from crūdus raw, bloody

Synonym Study

Cruel, pitiless, ruthless, brutal, savage imply readiness to cause pain to others. Cruel implies willingness to cause pain, and indifference to suffering: a cruel stepfather. Pitiless adds the idea of refusal to show compassion: pitiless to captives. Ruthless implies cruelty and unscrupulousness, letting nothing stand in one's way: ruthless greed. Brutal implies cruelty that takes the form of physical violence: a brutal master. Savage suggests fierceness and brutality: savage battles.

Example Sentences

I recognize, of course, that life isn’t fair and that many families are grappling with circumstances far crueler than ours.

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You can find cruel, judgmental and unkind people everywhere.

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It was a cruel irony that these works, devised to be widely disseminated, barely sold: Most Spaniards preferred, Mr. Matilla writes, “devotional prints or those on popular themes” over fine art.

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In a cruel irony, taxpayers have helped create this problem, by subsidizing, for years, billions in research and development for corporate America.

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Attorney Bill Essayli called the killing “a cruel, cold-blooded act” in a news release Wednesday.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• atrocious 
• barbarous 
• bitter 
• brutal 
• callous 
• cold-blooded 
• evil 
• harsh 
• hateful 
• heartless 
• inhuman 
• inhumane 
• merciless 
• painful 
• relentless 
• ruthless 
• sadistic 
• spiteful 
• tyrannical 
• unkind