as in brutality
disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others
centuries after he ravaged Europe, Attila the Hun remains notorious for his cruelty
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Recent Examples of cruelty
Conversely, Colum, devastated by his disability, has a pension for cruelty.
—
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 31 July 2025
An Indiana woman arrested last month for animal cruelty while on probation in a separate animal torture case should return to prison, a judge ruled on July 29.
—Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 30 July 2025
Gurley was charged with with reckless endangerment, aggravated cruelty to animals, arson, torture and injuring an animal.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 30 July 2025
Not to spoil anything, but the message is that the only cure for cruelty is not revenge, but decency.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruelty
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 31 July 2025
An Indiana woman arrested last month for animal cruelty while on probation in a separate animal torture case should return to prison, a judge ruled on July 29.
—Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 30 July 2025
Gurley was charged with with reckless endangerment, aggravated cruelty to animals, arson, torture and injuring an animal.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 30 July 2025
Not to spoil anything, but the message is that the only cure for cruelty is not revenge, but decency.
—Jesse David Fox, Vulture, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruelty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cruelty
Noun
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The spectacle was carried out with breathtaking emptiness, revealing American values while glorifying Putin’s brutality.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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The city has previously denied using tows to make money and has denied claims that Furman was engaged in police brutality, noting he was investigated by Michigan State Police in one incident but cleared.—
Tresa Baldas,
Freep.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Reports of state atrocities and abuses in Guatemala can be found in U.S. intelligence documents from the 1960s onward.—
Esther Brito Ruiz,
The Conversation,
7 Aug. 2025
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Moreover, summoning the horrors of October 7 only brings into sharper focus the scale of Israel's atrocities.—
Alia Brahimi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cruelty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cruelty. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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