cruel
adjective
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Definition of cruel
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Other Words from cruel
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adverb
Synonyms & Antonyms for cruel
Synonyms
atrocious, barbaric, barbarous, brutal, brute, butcherly, fiendish, heartless, inhuman, inhumane, sadistic, savage, truculent, vicious, wanton
Antonyms
benign, benignant, compassionate, good-hearted, humane, kind, kindhearted, sympathetic, tenderhearted
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Examples of cruel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the knockout stage, games that are tied at the end of the regulation 90 minutes and a 30-minute overtime are decided in the cruelest way possible: penalty kicks. — Kevin Baxter, latimes.com, "Womenâs World Cup: U.S. will have all its players available against Spain," 23 June 2019 This cruel policy is not the solution to a broken immigration system. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "Trump delayed the ICE raids in another panic-inducing âbait and switchâ," 23 June 2019 Too young to understand that her mother has no choice, the child lashes out in the cruelest possible way. — Donna Freedman, Anchorage Daily News, "In âmodern fairy taleâ at Cyranoâs, the mysterious disappearance of a womanâs voice," 20 June 2019 The cruelty of mass incarceration is senseless and disorienting to those who are its immediate victims, of course, but to witness it helplessly is also cruel and disorienting. — Rhonda Garelick, The Cut, "The Jacket Heard Round the World," 22 June 2018 Instead, Trump offers raw, unvarnished right-wing policy goals, which includes using cruel methods to stop the flow of undocumented immigrants. — Jeet Heer, The New Republic, "Laura Bush condemns Trumpâs family separation policy, but will the GOP listen?," 18 June 2018 That decision said life without parole sentences for juveniles violated the constitution's eight amendment prohibiting cruel or unusual punishments. — Tyler Kendall, CBS News, "Cyntoia Brown was 16 years old when she was sentenced to life in prison. Could her clemency give hope to other juvenile lifers?," 9 Aug. 2019 Advocates for the homeless criticized the council decision as cruel. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Los Angeles council limits where homeless can live in cars," 31 July 2019 Those factors include: committing the crime for financial gain; an especially heinous, cruel or depraved conduct; or extreme indifference to human life. — Denver7, The Denver Post, "Prosecutors will not seek death penalty against Patrick Frazee, accused of killing Kelsey Berreth," 28 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cruel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cruel
cruel
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of cruel
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cruel
adjective
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Kids Definition of cruel
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