Cruel
adjective
Causing pain or suffering.
He is too cruel to his dog.
Often appears as...
- cruel punishment
- cruel intentions
Usage tips
Disapproving
adjective
Having pleasure in causing pain or suffering.
He laughed with a cruel delight at her fear.
Often appears as...
- cruel smile
- cruel laugh
Usage tips
Disapproving
adjective
Causing harm or problems in a way that seems unfair or without reason.
The cruel reality is that life offers no second chances.
Often appears as...
- cruel fate
- cruel world
Usage tips
Disapproving
adjective
Causing pain or suffering.
He is too cruel to his dog.
Often appears as...
- cruel punishment
- cruel intentions
Usage tips
Disapproving
adjective
Having pleasure in causing pain or suffering.
He laughed with a cruel delight at her fear.
Often appears as...
- cruel smile
- cruel laugh
Usage tips
Disapproving
adjective
Causing harm or problems in a way that seems unfair or without reason.
The cruel reality is that life offers no second chances.
Often appears as...
- cruel fate
- cruel world
Usage tips
Disapproving
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Intention Matters
Consider if the pain caused is intentional or just a side effect to understand 'cruel' in context.
Ignoring someone's plea for help can be unintentionally cruel.
Pro Tip 2/3Severity of Action
'Cruel' often describes actions that are seen as extreme in their unkindness or harshness.
Refusing medical aid to the injured is a cruel act.
Pro Tip 3/3Not Always Physical
'Cruel' can refer to both physical pain or emotional and psychological suffering.
Spreading rumors about someone is cruel.
Pro Tip 1/3Intention Matters
Consider if the pain caused is intentional or just a side effect to understand 'cruel' in context.
Ignoring someone's plea for help can be unintentionally cruel.
Pro Tip 2/3Severity of Action
'Cruel' often describes actions that are seen as extreme in their unkindness or harshness.
Refusing medical aid to the injured is a cruel act.
Pro Tip 3/3Not Always Physical
'Cruel' can refer to both physical pain or emotional and psychological suffering.
Spreading rumors about someone is cruel.
Pro Tip 1/3Intention Matters
Consider if the pain caused is intentional or just a side effect to understand 'cruel' in context.
Ignoring someone's plea for help can be unintentionally cruel.
Pro Tip 2/3Severity of Action
'Cruel' often describes actions that are seen as extreme in their unkindness or harshness.
Refusing medical aid to the injured is a cruel act.
Pro Tip 3/3Not Always Physical
'Cruel' can refer to both physical pain or emotional and psychological suffering.
Spreading rumors about someone is cruel.
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Video examples
Orcas Kill, But Not Just...
They were also breaching up out of the water and tail slapping on the Steller sea lion, and this went on for for a good while. You can see that it was an instructional process. They were using the Steller sea lion as a teaching aid, and that was pretty uncomfortable to watch. It would appear to us to be incredibly cruel,
Video examples
Why is it so hard to...
Others can affect entire nations, such as cycles of corrupt government or climate change. But the cruel irony of welfare traps in particular is that they stem from the very policies designed to battle poverty. Most societies throughout history employed some strategies to help people in poverty meet basic needs.
Video examples
I grew up in the...
Once I saw that we were not the ultimate arbiters of divine truth but flawed human beings, I couldn't pretend otherwise. I couldn't justify our actions -- especially our cruel practice of protesting funerals and celebrating human tragedy. These shifts in my perspective
Video examples
How to make jokes at a...
the closest we've come but uh being a tyrant is obviously obviously a problem because tyrants are tyrannical thank you that's the best fight I've ever made in my life and they're literally cruel and oppressive by definition um and like I said you know because of our
Video examples
Baby Orphan Fox Rescue PIPE...
can be tricky but we do our best sadly not all foxes can be released over the years secret world has rescued foxes that have been cruelly kept as pets unfortunately these animals would never survive in the wild as they have become so accustomed to
Video examples
Why do we love? A...
we love in order to quench our physical and psychological desires. Humans are designed to procreate, but without the ecstasy of passionate love, sex is unsatisfying. Our fear of the cold, cruel world tempts us to build hard shells
Video examples
Leopard Seals Play With...
be really beneficial for the leopard seals in getting better at catching harder to catch prey such as gentoo penguins so what appears to be kind of bad natured cruel behavior on the part of the leopard seal may be really important
Video examples
Alaska Twins Live Off...
some people think that's inhumane to catch an animal in a trap it's really no more cruel for an animal to die in a trap than it is to be crushed in the jaws of a wolf or died over a period of a month of starvation that is life in
Video examples
The price of shame PIPE...
and, of course, my heartbreak; listen to my sometimes catty, sometimes churlish, sometimes silly self being cruel, unforgiving, uncouth; listen, deeply, deeply ashamed, to the worst version of myself,
Video examples
BBC Earth 50 Top Natural...
cruel people can be how senseless this whole thing is because so much for an ornament simply for an ornament he's treated with a special play they'll help
Video examples
Orcas Kill, But Not Just...
They were also breaching up out of the water and tail slapping on the Steller sea lion, and this went on for for a good while. You can see that it was an instructional process. They were using the Steller sea lion as a teaching aid, and that was pretty uncomfortable to watch. It would appear to us to be incredibly cruel,
Video examples
Why is it so hard to...
Others can affect entire nations, such as cycles of corrupt government or climate change. But the cruel irony of welfare traps in particular is that they stem from the very policies designed to battle poverty. Most societies throughout history employed some strategies to help people in poverty meet basic needs.
Video examples
I grew up in the...
Once I saw that we were not the ultimate arbiters of divine truth but flawed human beings, I couldn't pretend otherwise. I couldn't justify our actions -- especially our cruel practice of protesting funerals and celebrating human tragedy. These shifts in my perspective
Video examples
How to make jokes at a...
the closest we've come but uh being a tyrant is obviously obviously a problem because tyrants are tyrannical thank you that's the best fight I've ever made in my life and they're literally cruel and oppressive by definition um and like I said you know because of our
Video examples
Baby Orphan Fox Rescue PIPE...
can be tricky but we do our best sadly not all foxes can be released over the years secret world has rescued foxes that have been cruelly kept as pets unfortunately these animals would never survive in the wild as they have become so accustomed to
Video examples
Why do we love? A...
we love in order to quench our physical and psychological desires. Humans are designed to procreate, but without the ecstasy of passionate love, sex is unsatisfying. Our fear of the cold, cruel world tempts us to build hard shells
Video examples
Leopard Seals Play With...
be really beneficial for the leopard seals in getting better at catching harder to catch prey such as gentoo penguins so what appears to be kind of bad natured cruel behavior on the part of the leopard seal may be really important
Video examples
Alaska Twins Live Off...
some people think that's inhumane to catch an animal in a trap it's really no more cruel for an animal to die in a trap than it is to be crushed in the jaws of a wolf or died over a period of a month of starvation that is life in
Video examples
The price of shame PIPE...
and, of course, my heartbreak; listen to my sometimes catty, sometimes churlish, sometimes silly self being cruel, unforgiving, uncouth; listen, deeply, deeply ashamed, to the worst version of myself,
Video examples
BBC Earth 50 Top Natural...
cruel people can be how senseless this whole thing is because so much for an ornament simply for an ornament he's treated with a special play they'll help
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Grant Shapps
British Politician
The reality is that it would be wiser and even kinder for politicians to be responsible about what they claim the NHS will do, because the pain of having raised expectations for parents who are desperate to start a family, only to see those hopes crushed, is more cruel than having said nothing at all.
Quote examples
Anthony Hopkins
Welsh Actor
My father wasn't a cruel man. And I loved him. But he was a pretty tough character. His own father was even tougher - one of those Victorians, hard as iron - but my dad was tough enough.
Quote examples
Alicia Keys
American Musician
What breaks my heart is suffering of any kind. Too often, our world is divisive and cruel where it needs to be uniting and loving.
Quote examples
Ben Carson
American Scientist
I could easily have decided that life was cruel, that being black meant everything was stacked against me.
Quote examples
J. Robert Oppenheimer
American Physicist
My childhood did not prepare me for the fact that the world is full of cruel and bitter things.
Quote examples
George Santayana
Spanish Philosopher
The truth is cruel, but it can be loved, and it makes free those who have loved it.
Quote examples
Gaspar Noe
Argentinian Director
I like laughing about cruel things because life is cruel.
Quote examples
Danny DeVito
American Actor
I'll tell you one thing, it's a cruel, cruel world.
Quote examples
Carolyn Chute
American Writer
Today's world is very cruel.
Quote examples
Virgil van Dijk
Dutch Athlete
The world can be very cruel.
Quote examples
Grant Shapps
British Politician
The reality is that it would be wiser and even kinder for politicians to be responsible about what they claim the NHS will do, because the pain of having raised expectations for parents who are desperate to start a family, only to see those hopes crushed, is more cruel than having said nothing at all.
Quote examples
Anthony Hopkins
Welsh Actor
My father wasn't a cruel man. And I loved him. But he was a pretty tough character. His own father was even tougher - one of those Victorians, hard as iron - but my dad was tough enough.
Quote examples
Alicia Keys
American Musician
What breaks my heart is suffering of any kind. Too often, our world is divisive and cruel where it needs to be uniting and loving.
Quote examples
Ben Carson
American Scientist
I could easily have decided that life was cruel, that being black meant everything was stacked against me.
Quote examples
J. Robert Oppenheimer
American Physicist
My childhood did not prepare me for the fact that the world is full of cruel and bitter things.
Quote examples
George Santayana
Spanish Philosopher
The truth is cruel, but it can be loved, and it makes free those who have loved it.
Quote examples
Gaspar Noe
Argentinian Director
I like laughing about cruel things because life is cruel.
Quote examples
Danny DeVito
American Actor
I'll tell you one thing, it's a cruel, cruel world.
Quote examples
Carolyn Chute
American Writer
Today's world is very cruel.
Quote examples
Virgil van Dijk
Dutch Athlete
The world can be very cruel.
Example 1 of 10
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