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
The dogs' owner, who would later be convicted of animal cruelty, refused to tell police his animals' names.
—
Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 18 Sep. 2025
That cruelty charge is for allegedly ignoring the dog and offering no aid or assistance after it had been shot in the abdomen.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
The neglect, the cruelty, the starvation.
—Tj MacIas, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Justice came for Petal when her previous owner was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals on September 12, a press release from CGHS stated.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruelty
Ryan Murphy, IndyStar, 18 Sep. 2025
That cruelty charge is for allegedly ignoring the dog and offering no aid or assistance after it had been shot in the abdomen.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
The neglect, the cruelty, the starvation.
—Tj MacIas, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Justice came for Petal when her previous owner was arrested and charged with cruelty to animals on September 12, a press release from CGHS stated.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruelty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cruelty
Noun
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He was also convicted in April of distributing steroids and altering records to try and cover it up, which carries twice as much potential prison time as plotting to commit police brutality.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
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We’ve all been cast adrift in the cognitive dissonance between the visceral seriousness of the crime and the abject flippancy of the shooter, the brutality of the shooting and the memes reacting to Kirk’s bigoted views.—
Raven Smith,
Vogue,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The atrocities in Ukraine and beyond—in Syria, Sudan, Palestine, and elsewhere—are not accidents.—
Oleksandra Matviichuk,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Reminders of the atrocities committed on Jews in that era continue to surface regularly.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cruelty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cruelty. Accessed 25 Sep. 2025.
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