cruel
[ kroo-uhl ]
/ ˈkru əl /
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adjective, cru·el·er, cru·el·est.
willfully or knowingly causing pain or distress to others.
enjoying the pain or distress of others: the cruel spectators of the gladiatorial contests.
causing or marked by great pain or distress: a cruel remark; a cruel affliction.
rigid; stern; strict; unrelentingly severe.
OTHER WORDS FOR cruel
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Origin of cruel
1175–1225; Middle English <Anglo-French, Old French <Latin crūdēlis, equivalent to crūd(us) (see crude) + -ēlis adj. suffix
synonym study for cruel
1. 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.
OTHER WORDS FROM cruel
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cruel in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for cruel
cruel
/ (ˈkruːəl) /
adjective
causing or inflicting pain without pitya cruel teacher
causing pain or sufferinga cruel accident
Derived forms of cruel
cruelly, adverbcruelness, nounWord Origin for cruel
C13: from Old French, from Latin crūdēlis, from crūdus raw, bloody
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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