cruelty
noun
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Definition of cruelty
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Synonyms & Antonyms for cruelty
Synonyms
atrociousness, atrocity, barbarity, barbarousness, brutality, cruelness, fiendishness, heartlessness, inhumanity, inhumanness, sadism, savageness, savagery, truculence, viciousness, wantonness
Antonyms
benignity, compassion, good-heartedness, humaneness, humanity, kindheartedness, kindness, sympathy, tenderheartedness
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Examples of cruelty in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lastly, in an example of almost unimaginable cruelty, the administration is planning to deport non-citizens who are trying to extend their time in the U.S. in order to treat severe medical conditions. — Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, "The Week in Washington: Impeachable Offenses Alert!," 1 Sep. 2019 Something to bear in mind as our government of the people inflicts needless cruelties upon the vulnerable and the dispossessed. — Leonard Pitts Jr - Miami Herald, The Mercury News, "Pitts: Does withholding flu shots to detained migrant families constitute evil?," 28 Aug. 2019 His ideas include ending the euthanasia of healthy cats and dogs in shelters, making animal cruelty a federal crime and expanding U.S. protected lands. — Reis Thebault, chicagotribune.com, "Julián Castro introduces animal welfare plan," 27 Aug. 2019 The episode amounted to an act of astonishing cruelty towards the children themselves. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "Trump’s Tax on the National Psyche," 21 Aug. 2019 Here’s one of the videos that had been determined to show animal cruelty: This video was posted by Jamison Go, who competed in the last season of BattleBots. — Jay Peters, The Verge, "YouTube bans robot fighting videos for animal cruelty roughly 10 years too soon," 21 Aug. 2019 Muriel Spark’s more astringent, nouveau roman–style performances may be another starting place for comparisons—or maybe Ottessa Moshfegh’s delicious cruelties. — Christopher Tayler, Harper's magazine, "New Books," 19 Aug. 2019 Deborah Sue Culwell pleaded guilty in an Indio courthouse to seven felony animal cruelty counts and seven misdemeanor animal abandonment charges, NBC affiliate KMIR of Palm Springs reported. — Phil Helsel, NBC News, "California woman who dumped 7 puppies in garbage bin sentenced to jail," 16 Aug. 2019 Lydia's cruelty has always been in sharp contrast to those fleeting, surprising moments of empathy or tenderness toward the Handmaids. — Nojan Aminosharei, Harper's BAZAAR, "Ann Dowd Digs Deep to Understand Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid's Tale," 14 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cruelty.' 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 cruelty
cruelty
noun
English Language Learners Definition of cruelty
See the full definition for cruelty in the English Language Learners Dictionary
cruelty
noun
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Kids Definition of cruelty
cruelty
nounLegal Definition of cruelty
Note: Cruelty is an aggravating circumstance to a crime (as murder).
— called also cruel and inhuman treatment
Note: Cruelty is a ground for divorce.
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