Synonyms and Antonyms of cruel
1
having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others
- a cruel dictator who tortured anyone who dared to speak out against him
- cruel and unusual punishments are forbidden by the U.S. Constitution
atrocious, barbaric, barbarous, brutal, brute, butcherly, fiendish, heartless, inhuman, inhumane, sadistic, savage, truculent, vicious, wanton
hard-hearted, ironhearted, merciless, pitiless, ruthless, stonyhearted, unfeeling
fell, ferocious, grim
bloodthirsty, cutthroat, murderous, sanguinary, sanguine
catty, despiteful, hateful, malevolent, malicious, malign, malignant, mean, nasty, spiteful, vindictive
draconian, draconic, hardhanded, harsh, heavy-handed, oppressive
2
difficult to endure
- the cruel climate of the Arctic
bitter, brutal, burdensome, excruciating, grievous, grim, hard, hardhanded, harsh, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, rugged, searing, severe, stiff, tough, trying
austere, bleak, comfortless, discomforting, forbidding, inhospitable, spartan, uncomfortable
biting, inclement, intemperate, wild
rigorous, strict, stringent
agonizing, heartbreaking, heartrending, painful, wretched
crushing, grinding, overwhelming, wearing
insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable
harrowing, tortuous
bad, disagreeable, hostile, unfriendly, unpleasant
comfortable, cozy, luxurious, snug
agreeable, friendly, genial, hospitable, pleasant
peaceful, relaxing, reposeful, restful
bearable, endurable, painless, tolerable
balmy, calm, clement, gentle, mild, moderate, temperate
3
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
- the cruel situation of being orphaned at an early age
