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.
Origin of cruel
1175–1225; Middle English <Anglo-French, Old French <Latin crūdēlis, equivalent to crūd(us) (see crude) + -ēlis adj. suffix
SYNONYMS FOR cruel
1 bloodthirsty, ferocious, merciless, relentless.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR cruel ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR cruel
1 kind.
2 sympathetic, compassionate.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR cruel ON THESAURUS.COM
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.
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 Wuhan Virus to Washington Virus|Daniel Malloy|October 4, 2020|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.
7 big cases the Supreme Court will hear in its new term, explained|Ian Millhiser|October 1, 2020|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.
7 big cases the Supreme Court will hear in its new term, explained|Ian Millhiser|October 1, 2020|Vox
A clinician who had grown up in the town reached out to Anna Mueller for help breaking the cruel cycle.
This year’s SN 10 scientists aim to solve some of science’s biggest challenges|Science News Staff|September 30, 2020|Science News
That's the cruel way someone anonymously replied to a family asking for help for their sick child.
Family Told to Let Their Baby Die Instead of Raising Money For His Rare Disease|Health|November 27, 2019|Health
His later books drew heavily from experiences and people he encountered at the bar, including the cruel captain in The Sea-Wolf.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not to those in power, not to the cruel and inhumane, not to the wealthy.
Jesus Wasn’t Born Rich. Think About It.|Gene Robinson|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hatuey replied that he would rather burn and be sent to hell than ever again encounter people as cruel as the Spanish.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind|Brin-Jonathan Butler|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The story of Alstory Simon has all the scope and scale, the cruel reversals, and pointless waste of proper tragedy.
Wrongly Imprisoned for 15 Years Thanks to an Innocence Project|Jacob Siegel|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Vsevolod Meyerhold, the great theater director, spoke of the effect the “angry, cruel headlines” had on his friend.
When Stalin Met Lady Macbeth|Brian Moynahan|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It would be cruel to disturb her now with such a revelation of her own negligence.
The Price of Love|Arnold Bennett
And it was not, be it remembered, the work of a capricious and cruel despot; it was the tyranny of a solemn legislative assembly.
A Book of the Play|Dutton Cook
Aunt Olivia need not have dreaded any more opposition from her cruel family.
Chronicles of Avonlea|Lucy Maud Montgomery
And then his gloomy, cruel disposition would reassume its influence, and he thought of revenging the attack upon his life.
The Pirate|Frederick Marryat
Luckily for me, my friend, who was no less clumsy than brave, was not the man to leave me long in this cruel position.
Secrets of the Sword|Csar Lecat de Bazancourt
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, noun
Word Origin for cruel
C13: from Old French, from Latin crūdēlis, from crūdus raw, bloody