cruelly

adverb

Definition of cruellynext
as in ruthlessly

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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 cruelly The practice was criticized by advocates and others as cruelly targeting rule followers as low-hanging fruit to meet quotas. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 20 July 2026 In the movie, Calypso is portrayed less cruelly, and is depicted as being in love with Odysseus. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026 Colombia peppered him with shots from all parts of the attacking third, as seen below, and had three goals disallowed before Daniel Munoz’s deflected strike — cruelly — finally beat Mpasi on 76 minutes. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 11 July 2026 Christian Pulisic even had a goal cruelly wiped out by the offside flag. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 2 July 2026 But the global fame that Back to Black brought the London songstress only seemed to exacerbate her issues with addiction, and broadcast them to the world via a cruelly unsympathetic tabloid media ecosystem. — Al Shipley, SPIN, 29 June 2026 Last month, 60 Minutes lost its DNA when our entire senior leadership and two of our best on-air correspondents were cruelly fired without cause. — Joanna Ossinger,laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cruelly
  1. ruthlessly
  2. mercilessly
  3. heartlessly
  4. pitilessly
  5. callously
  6. inhumanely
  7. bitterly
  8. unkindly
Adverb
  • That pointed straight at a spillage from substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens in the 88th minute, punished ruthlessly by Merino for the decisive goal.
    — Oliver Kay, New York Times, 15 July 2026
  • But when the swirl of events beyond their control caught them into something immeasurably larger than a single game of soccer, not even the strength of their new mentality was enough to prevent them from being ruthlessly swept away.
    — Mark Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 7 July 2026
Definition of ruthlessly
Adverb
  • For the second year in a row, this quiet Hill Country town is digging itself out of a catastrophe that has mercilessly taken a community trying to heal and set them back on the path of mourning.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
  • An ensuing mob of fans trying to take the stadium shuttle to the Netherlands-Tunisia match got mercilessly down poured on.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 14 July 2026
Definition of mercilessly
Adverb
  • Victim Nyron Shaw’s father said the driver who mowed his son down last year in Ocean Hill a day before Independence Day should face the maximum penalty for allegedly driving twice the speed limit and heartlessly taking off, leaving his son to die.
    — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
  • In the process, Joel heartlessly killed some innocent people, including medical professionals.
    — EW.com, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Definition of heartlessly
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
Definition of pitilessly
Adverb
  • The department was known to operate callously, firing people by email or locking them out of buildings.
    — Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
  • Altman accused of making ChatGPT unsafe The lawsuit joins prior suits accusing Altman of callously deploying AI systems without regard for user safety.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026
Definition of callously
Adverb
  • In May 2025, the zoo posted a video of authorities taking a giraffe and accused them of seizing it inhumanely.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 22 June 2026
  • The complaints also allege the 37 people detained were taken to the Broadview ICE detention center where they were treated inhumanely.
    — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 13 May 2026
Definition of inhumanely
Adverb
  • There were riots, protests and a bitterly divisive war in Vietnam that looked intractable.
    — Steven Johnson, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
  • With a goalkeeping howler and a red card, Marcelo Bielsa’s side self-imploded at the end of a bitterly disappointing tournament.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 3 July 2026
Definition of bitterly
Adverb
  • Yet, since the post went up, some people have unkindly critiqued her cheeks, nose, chin and complexion, while others wonder what the fuss is all about.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Tabloids and magazines regularly reported on the state of the relationship, often unkindly.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2026
Definition of unkindly

Browse Nearby Words

cruel
cruelly
cruelness
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Cite this Entry

“Cruelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cruelly. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of cruelly for Spanish Speakers

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