cruel (ˈkruːəl
)
Definitions
adjective
- causing or inflicting pain without pity ⇒
a cruel teacher
- causing pain or suffering ⇒
a cruel accident
Alternative Forms
ˈcruelly adverb ˈcruelness nounWord Origin
C13: from Old French, from Latin crūdēlis, from crūdus raw, bloodySynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
brutal,
ruthless,
callous,
sadistic,
inhumane,
hard,
fell,
severe,
harsh,
savage,
grim,
vicious,
relentless,
murderous,
monstrous,
unnatural,
unkind,
heartless,
atrocious,
inhuman,
merciless,
cold-blooded,
malevolent,
hellish,
depraved,
spiteful,
brutish,
bloodthirsty,
remorseless,
barbarous,
pitiless,
unfeeling,
sanguinary,
hard-hearted,
stony-hearted,
implacable,
Quotations
"I must be cruel, only to be kind"
Translations
- British English:
cruel
Someone who is cruel deliberately causes pain or distress.Children can be very cruel.ˈkruːəl ADJECTIVE Children can be very cruel.
- Spanish:
cruel
adj
- French:
cruel
adj
- German:
grausam
adj
- Chinese: 残忍的 adj
- Arabic: قاسٍ adj
- Portuguese: cruel adj
- Russian: жестокий adj жестокая
- Croatian: okrutan adj okrutna
- Czech: krutý adj
- Danish: ond adj
- Dutch: wreed adj
- Finnish: julma adj
- Greek: σκληρός adj σκληρή
- Italian: crudele adj
- Japanese: 残酷な no_posp
- Korean: 잔혹한 adj
- Norwegian: grusom adj
- Polish: okrutny adj okrutna
- Brazilian Portuguese: cruel adj
- European Spanish:
cruel
adj
- Swedish: grym adj grymt
- Thai: โหดร้าย adj
- Turkish: zalim adj
- Vietnamese: tàn nhẫn adj
Usage examples
The British are making what they see as necessarily cruel demands.
, THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS (2002)More recently, 80 % of people said that they thought hunting was cruel.
Country Life (2004)Yet, both of us are right, because Silagy's work is a paean to humankind's fragility in a cruel world.
Globe and Mail (2003)It must be a cruel reminder of the force of nature he once was.
Glasgow Herald (2001)If we are cruel or unkind, then a similar form of unkindness will rise up against us.
, KARMA, REINCARNATION AND REBIRTH: How Karma Affects Our Life, Our Personality, and Our Future (2002)