1
as in brutal
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in harsh
difficult to endure
the cruel climate of the Arctic
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally
the cruel situation of being orphaned at an early age
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in malicious
having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it
the bully was fond of making cruel little jabs at his victim's sore points
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cruel
The 1982 original saw Stallone play a veteran Green Beret who is forced by a cruel sheriff and his deputies to flee into the mountains and wage an escalating one-man war against his pursuers.
—
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 15 May 2025
And Petrova and Trim, like many others, began to learn the sometimes cruel idiosyncrasies of the U.S. immigration system.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 12 May 2025
Their personalities, along with the cruel allure of the cityscape itself, lend the grim story a glimmer of transcendence.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
His online rebuke of President Trump and Vice President JD Vance for their harsh and cruel immigration policies aligns with the humane and compassionate approach of Francis and church teachings.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruel
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 15 May 2025
And Petrova and Trim, like many others, began to learn the sometimes cruel idiosyncrasies of the U.S. immigration system.
—Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 12 May 2025
Their personalities, along with the cruel allure of the cityscape itself, lend the grim story a glimmer of transcendence.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
His online rebuke of President Trump and Vice President JD Vance for their harsh and cruel immigration policies aligns with the humane and compassionate approach of Francis and church teachings.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cruel
Adjective
-
Lori survives the brutal events of prom night, but not without a fight.—
Jane LaCroix,
People.com,
24 May 2025
-
Amid the brutal cuts across the federal government under the Trump administration, perhaps one of the most gutting is the loss of experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who respond to lead poisoning in children.—
John Timmer,
ArsTechnica,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
Though Nicole reserves her harshest jabs for Jorgeous, the real heat is between Tina and Mistress.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
-
Padilla had harsh comments for the president and the GOP in a statement Thursday after the House vote.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
Their boyfriends, meanwhile, suffer the painful indignities of paper cutters, buzzsaws, and other sharp objects.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
23 May 2025
-
Ornstein: United were budgeting for no European football next season, Joseph, and therefore last night would have been extremely painful but not a complete shock.—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
The malicious URLs outputted in the response are in clickable form, meaning all a user has to do is click one to be taken to a malicious site.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
23 May 2025
-
Enhances visibility and control of network traffic and user activities and detects and blocks malicious activities.—
Mickey Singh,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
The original 2006 film, which was adapted from Lauren Weisberger’s book of the same name, starred Meryl Streep as the powerful Miranda Priestley, Anne Hathaway as fashion newbie Andy Sachs, Emily Blunt as vicious assistant Emily and Stanley Tucci as Miranda’s right hand man Nigel.—
Rachel McRady,
People.com,
23 May 2025
-
The synopsis reads: Prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown.—
DeVonne Goode,
Parents,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
Buy Now: Flashlight on Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes & Noble Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, V. E. Schwab (June 10) V. E. Schwab’s sapphic vampire romance begins in 16th century Spain with Maria, a tough young bride, looking to escape her wealthy husband.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
22 May 2025
-
That’s really tough to stop from turning into scoring opportunities for the opponent.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
In court proceedings in the years to follow, many of Gabriel’s family members, including his siblings Virginia and Ezequiel, testified about the torturous abuse the child experienced at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend.—
Yasmeen Hamadeh,
People.com,
24 May 2025
-
Smith's lawyers filed a lawsuit along with eight other death row inmates challenge Tennessee’s new protocol, saying there is a high risk of torturous death.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
Adjective
-
Of note: Your Content must not be false, defamatory, misleading or hateful, or infringe any copyright or any other third-party rights or otherwise be unlawful.—
Will Matsuda,
New York Times,
23 May 2025
-
The league is focused on four key areas: enhanced technological features to detect hateful comments online; increased emphasis on team, arena and league security measures; reinforcing mental health resources; and alignment of core against hate.—
Doug Feinberg,
Chicago Tribune,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cruel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cruel. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share