cruel to be kind
CulturalExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"You have to be cruel to be kind, and this is the pure example of it."
From BBC • Jan. 6, 2024
When Hamlet said he had to be cruel to be kind, he presented it as a grim necessity.
From New York Times • Dec. 21, 2021
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
Because," he continued, with a villainous leer, "I am only cruel to be kind.
From High Noon A New Sequel to 'Three Weeks' by Elinor Glyn by Anonymous
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.
