cruel
[ kroo-uhl ]
/ ˈkru əl /
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.
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
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
Words nearby cruel
Example sentences from the Web for cruelly
British Dictionary definitions for cruelly
cruel
/ (ˈkruːəl) /
adjective
causing or inflicting pain without pity
a cruel teacher
causing pain or suffering
a cruel accident
Derived forms of cruel
cruelly, adverb cruelness, nounWord Origin for cruel
C13: from Old French, from Latin
crūdēlis, from
crūdus raw, bloody