cruelty

American  

[kroo-uhl-tee] / ˈkru əl ti /

noun

• cruelties
  plural

1. the state or quality of being cruel.

   Synonyms:

   atrocity, inhumanity, barbarity, ruthlessness, brutality, harshness

2. cruel disposition or conduct.

   Antonyms:

   kindness

3. a cruel act.

   Antonyms:

   kindness

4. Law. conduct by a spouse that causes grievous bodily harm or mental suffering.

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cruelty British  

/ ˈkruːəltɪ /

noun

1. deliberate infliction of pain or suffering

2. the quality or characteristic of being cruel

3. a cruel action

4. law conduct that causes danger to life or limb or a threat to bodily or mental health, on proof of which a decree of divorce may be granted

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-cruelty
  noun
• anticruelty
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cruelties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cruelty

1175–1225; Middle English cruelte < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin crūdēlitāt- (stem of crūdēlitās ). See cruel, -ity

Explanation

Cruelty is a characteristic of deliberately causing someone pain. Years of cruelty by their leaders can cause citizens to rise up together and revolt. Keeping a dog tied up outside all day and all night is animal cruelty, while kids' endless bullying of a classmate is another kind of cruelty. In both examples, people act in a coldhearted way that causes another being to feel terrible. The Latin root of cruelty is crudelis, "rude, unfeeling, or hard-hearted," which is related to crudus, "rough, raw, or bloody," the root of crude.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cruelty cruelties

“It’s devastating, the amount of cruelty that we’re seeing ... and a lot of the people that are in detention centers are workers,” Huerta said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

He called on him to quit and injected further tales of alleged cruelty into the discussion.

From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2026

There is shock, anger and sorrow, as well as demands for laws against animal cruelty, which China currently does not have.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” has a similar build and intention, although its makers allow Aang to grapple with the stark reality of human cruelty.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

In addition to war and crime and cruelty, we have to worry about environmental problems—about pollution, the growing hole in the ozone layer, the greenhouse effect, and global warming.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

I remember thinking her diatribe about the injustice of Hester Prynne’s shunning would segue into the cruelties Charles faced with the goal of inspiring someone to defy the blacklist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

Here we talk of impossible love, of passion and jealousy, of loss and the practical cruelties that make desire without relief.

From Salon ● Nov. 8, 2025

But he also pointed to the cruelties of man.

From BBC ● May 13, 2024

It is helpful for all to take into consideration the disruptive social history of the region when trying to come to terms with the profound sadnesses and cruelties being exchanged today.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 25, 2023

She had heard stories about the cruelties of slavery from the older black people around Martinsburg, West Virginia.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

• barbarism
• barbarity
• inhumanity
• malice
• persecution
• savagery
• torture