as in ruthlessly
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Recent Examples of cruelly
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
Their 2-0 home win over Fulham came after Josh King was cruelly denied his first Premier League goal by an incorrect VAR intervention, with Rodrigo Muniz penalised for standing on Chalobah’s foot.
—Graham Scott, New York Times, 2 June 2026
That creature cruelly draining and discarding the aged?
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that cruelly sow fear are not the solution.
—Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
His ability to endure might, in a perverse way, have been a gift from his father, who, by Hurst’s account, treated him cruelly.
—Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 28 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
Joanna Ossinger,laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 3 June 2026
Their 2-0 home win over Fulham came after Josh King was cruelly denied his first Premier League goal by an incorrect VAR intervention, with Rodrigo Muniz penalised for standing on Chalobah’s foot.
—Graham Scott, New York Times, 2 June 2026
That creature cruelly draining and discarding the aged?
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that cruelly sow fear are not the solution.
—Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
His ability to endure might, in a perverse way, have been a gift from his father, who, by Hurst’s account, treated him cruelly.
—Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 28 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cruelly
Adverb
-
This episode is hilarious, but it’s been so ruthlessly hacked down to giggle moments and ironic smash-cuts that important action and context are missing.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
-
Beijing also has encouraged companies to compete ruthlessly against each other at home.—
PAUL WISEMAN,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
Adverb
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Some commentators’ dark horses for the tournament, Norway qualified from Europe with a perfect record, pillaging goals at will, while mercilessly dispatching opponents.—
Jonathan Thompson,
Travel + Leisure,
10 June 2026
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The parody would begin with Oteri's Gail Hailstorm, a riff on Courteney Cox's mercilessly ambitious reporter Gale Weathers in the Scream franchise.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 June 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
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In the process, Joel heartlessly killed some innocent people, including medical professionals.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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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
-
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
Adverb
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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
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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
Adverb
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Customers complained, some bitterly, and AMD heard and granted their demands.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
22 June 2026
-
Those fans erupted when Harry Kane scored on a penalty kick in the 12th minute, and groaned bitterly when Baturina scored the equalizer some 20 minutes later.—
Jim Barnes,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 June 2026
Adverb
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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
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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 24 Jun. 2026.
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