as in ruthlessly
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Recent Examples of cruelly
Grealish has spoken with Thomas Tuchel previously and was targeting a strong second half of the season, but that opportunity was cruelly taken from him, leaving him needing time to come to terms with the disappointment.
—
Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Immigrant rights advocates have criticized the practice as inhumane and say ICE has cruelly targeted people following the rules by turning up to their court dates to meet quotas.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
This year’s ceremony was not perfect, of course — there were some sound-production issues, there were some presenters with milquetoast bits (as always), and a few winners were played off the stage with cruelly abrupt music cues.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
As a young schoolboy, Davidson was often cruelly stigmatized because no one had bothered to diagnose his disorder.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026
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
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
Life is cruelly short sometimes.
—Dawn Klavon, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Immigrant rights advocates have criticized the practice as inhumane and say ICE has cruelly targeted people following the rules by turning up to their court dates to meet quotas.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
This year’s ceremony was not perfect, of course — there were some sound-production issues, there were some presenters with milquetoast bits (as always), and a few winners were played off the stage with cruelly abrupt music cues.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
As a young schoolboy, Davidson was often cruelly stigmatized because no one had bothered to diagnose his disorder.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 23 Feb. 2026
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
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
Life is cruelly short sometimes.
—Dawn Klavon, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cruelly
Adverb
-
Instead of The Expanse’s sprawling epic of humanity’s journey to the stars, The Captive’s War sees humans brought under the thumb of a ruthlessly controlling alien empire and struggling to resist, build lives and maybe even find a way to win.—
Sarah Lewin Frasier,
Scientific American,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The Apollo program was centrally planned and ruthlessly methodical.—
David W. Brown,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The fans mercilessly booed Shohei Ohtani, who turned down $700 million from the Blue Jays to take $700 million from the Dodgers, and outfielder Kyle Tucker, who turned down $350 million (over 10 years) from the Blue Jays to take $240 million (over four years) from the Dodgers.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
At his previous school, he was mercilessly bullied.—
Heidi Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
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
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
-
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
-
Building Alligator Alcatraz and being proud of treating people inhumanely while at the same time stealing money for his charity is disgusting.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The oversight tour came after activists alleged detainees were being treated inhumanely at the facility.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Mary leaves four children, ages 10 to 17 — and relatives feuding so bitterly that the two families had to go to court to decide where Mary would be laid to rest and two separate memorial services were held.—
Jill Smolowe,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The strike was fought bitterly on both sides.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Cruelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cruelly. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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