as in ruthlessly
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Recent Examples of cruelly
Her boss behaves erratically and cruelly, the house has strange rules and Millie is forced to sleep in a small, locked attic room.
—
Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
During that period, NYC received 220,000 migrants — because the Republican governor of Texas wanted to cruelly use them as political pawns by sending them here.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 Feb. 2026
The obvious price gap between her Zara dress and the Bottega handbag gifted to her by Jack is cruelly teased out in what would usually be the turning point of a scene like this.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
Then the test was over; the untouched Negroni was rather cruelly taken away.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Deflatingly, this last-four tie was effectively over as a contest after less than seven minutes of the second leg, when Dan Burn’s slide tackle cruelly bounced off Omar Marmoush and looped over a helpless Aaron Ramsdale, before two further goals followed inside the opening 32 minutes.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
In order for Sophie to live a comfortable life, Araminta hires her as an unpaid maid and treats her pretty cruelly compared to her daughers Posy and Rosamund.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 29 Jan. 2026
Because Lady Penwood treats her particularly cruelly compared to her other servants.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Life is cruelly short sometimes.
—Dawn Klavon, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Ashlee Conour, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
During that period, NYC received 220,000 migrants — because the Republican governor of Texas wanted to cruelly use them as political pawns by sending them here.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 Feb. 2026
The obvious price gap between her Zara dress and the Bottega handbag gifted to her by Jack is cruelly teased out in what would usually be the turning point of a scene like this.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 15 Feb. 2026
Then the test was over; the untouched Negroni was rather cruelly taken away.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Deflatingly, this last-four tie was effectively over as a contest after less than seven minutes of the second leg, when Dan Burn’s slide tackle cruelly bounced off Omar Marmoush and looped over a helpless Aaron Ramsdale, before two further goals followed inside the opening 32 minutes.
—Chris Waugh, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
In order for Sophie to live a comfortable life, Araminta hires her as an unpaid maid and treats her pretty cruelly compared to her daughers Posy and Rosamund.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 29 Jan. 2026
Because Lady Penwood treats her particularly cruelly compared to her other servants.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Life is cruelly short sometimes.
—Dawn Klavon, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cruelly
Adverb
-
In his absence, Maduro has been replaced by his former deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, now acting president, who has ruthlessly transformed her country’s geopolitical outlook.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Republicans understand this gap and are exploiting it ruthlessly.—
Julian Baron,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Madrid are actually owned by 80,000 members who demand the highest standards — and are surrounded by a voracious local media who mercilessly criticise anyone who even temporarily falls short.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Deer, meanwhile, were hunted mercilessly.—
Alex Kuffner,
The Providence Journal,
12 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
In the process, Joel heartlessly killed some innocent people, including medical professionals.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
26 Aug. 2025
-
There is a troubling suggestion of abuse, implying that Jack might have been ill-treated by his mom (and saved by Helen), rather than heartlessly abandoned.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
14 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
The first hour, set at a resort that’s like a singles cruise through the Twilight Zone (or Bachelor in Paradise beamed in from a brutal alternate universe), contains some of the most pitilessly funny scenes of the filmmaker’s career.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
Marley’s level of fame and influence meant that, after his death at 36, his legacy, his spirit, his brand was to be shaped by a record industry that could be callously indifferent to truth or quality at the expense of revenue.—
Eric Harvey,
Pitchfork,
18 Jan. 2026
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Some industry representatives ahead of the meeting expressed worry that attending risked casting them as willing participants in a callously opportunistic grab for Venezuela’s crude, people familiar with the matter said.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
The oversight tour came after activists alleged detainees were being treated inhumanely at the facility.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Since October last year, Russia has intensified its drone and missile attacks on the Ukrainian energy system, knocking out electricity and heat and plunging millions of Ukrainians into long blackouts during bitterly cold winter temperatures.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
-
In Alchevsk, a city in the Luhansk region, over half the homes have been without heat for two bitterly cold months.—
Yuras Karmanau,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Furet had earlier co-produced a glossy two-volume study of the Revolution, La Révolution française (1965–66), described unkindly but not unjustly by Lynn Hunt as a coffee-table book.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Nov. 2025
-
Aimee Lou Wood, the British breakout star of The White Lotus season three, said Saturday Night Live has apologized after unkindly parodying her during Saturday night’s show.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cruelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cruelly. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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