crueler or crueller; cruelest or cruellest
1
: disposed to inflict pain or suffering : devoid of humane feelings
a cruel tyrant
has a cruel heart
2
a
: causing or conducive to injury, grief, or pain
a cruel joke
a cruel twist of fate
b
: unrelieved by leniency
cruel punishment
cruelness
noun
Examples of cruel in a Sentence
a cruel twist of fate
Hunger is a cruel fact of nature.
Recent Examples on the Web
The investigation eventually revealed that Lauryn's mom, Kendra Licari, was the person who had been sending up to 50 cruel texts a day to her then-13-year-old daughter and her daughter's ex-boyfriend for two years.
—
Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
And that’s especially true when a demon as insidious as Doma or brutal as Akaza steps into frame (special shout-out to the deliciously cruel and twisted sympathy Doma shares for his opponent Shinobu Kocho during their fight).
—David Opie, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
That's really frightening because people can be really cruel and that's dangerous.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
The Great War, however, turned death into something sudden, cruel and unknowable, as young men—often barely into adulthood—were slaughtered on the front line, their deaths reported to their families days or weeks later.
—Alice Vernon
september 8, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruel
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Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
And that’s especially true when a demon as insidious as Doma or brutal as Akaza steps into frame (special shout-out to the deliciously cruel and twisted sympathy Doma shares for his opponent Shinobu Kocho during their fight).
—David Opie, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
That's really frightening because people can be really cruel and that's dangerous.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
The Great War, however, turned death into something sudden, cruel and unknowable, as young men—often barely into adulthood—were slaughtered on the front line, their deaths reported to their families days or weeks later.
—Alice Vernon
september 8, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruel
Cite this Entry
“Cruel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruel. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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