cruel

[ kroo-uhl ]

adjective

, cru·el·er, cru·el·est.

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

Derived Forms

• ˈcruelly, adverb
• ˈcruelness, noun

Other Words From

• cruel·ly adverb
• cruel·ness noun
• un·cruel adjective
• un·cruel·ly adverb
• un·cruel·ness 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

That might sound a little cruel, but given his behavior, it’s his just rewards, But on the other hand, I think that it might work to his favor.

From Ozy

The Eighth Amendment forbids “cruel and unusual punishments,” and the Supreme Court has held that this amendment prohibits states from imposing certain punishments on certain individuals.

From Vox

Beyond these two especially high-profile cases, this term gives the Court an opportunity to reshape the law governing cruel and unusual punishments — and to potentially weaken existing safeguards against such punishments considerably.

From Vox

A clinician who had grown up in the town reached out to Anna Mueller for help breaking the cruel cycle.

From Science News

That's the cruel way someone anonymously replied to a family asking for help for their sick child.

From Health

His later books drew heavily from experiences and people he encountered at the bar, including the cruel captain in The Sea-Wolf.

From The Daily Beast

Not to those in power, not to the cruel and inhumane, not to the wealthy.

From The Daily Beast

Hatuey replied that he would rather burn and be sent to hell than ever again encounter people as cruel as the Spanish.

From The Daily Beast

The New Jersey governor vetoed a ban on a rarely used cruel practice for pregnant pigs.

From The Daily Beast

The story of Alstory Simon has all the scope and scale, the cruel reversals, and pointless waste of proper tragedy.

From The Daily Beast

And then Jolly Robin would feel ashamed that he had even thought of being so cruel to an infant bird, even if he was a Cowbird.

From Project Gutenberg

Through what ages has that declaration, not to be denied, ascended to cold and cruel skies?

From Project Gutenberg

His silence had frightened her: what if he should resent on her the cruel words spoken by Dr. Ashton?

From Project Gutenberg

There had been cruel misunderstanding on his part somewhere; that misunderstanding must be burned away.

From Project Gutenberg

In a thousand trials the cruel witness of Moses has sent innocent women to a painful death.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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