as in ruthlessly
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Recent Examples of cruelly
Ray can be cruelly withholding.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 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
Bundle has a home to return to, but the very real financial problems Lady Caterham dealt with so poorly and cruelly now weigh on her.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
Edward cruelly abandons his wife to pursue a wealthy and high-status noblewoman (Bella Heathcote).
—Robert Lang, Deadline, 27 Dec. 2025
In that first year of The Banishment, my father told my mother over the phone that she was not invited to Thanksgiving and cruelly instructed her to drop me off at my grandfather’s house in time for dinner.
—Daisy Rockwell, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2025
Liverpool have only Joe Gomez to turn to after missing out on Marc Guehi and cruelly losing Giovanni Leoni to injury.
—The Athletic's Liverpool Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 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
Bundle has a home to return to, but the very real financial problems Lady Caterham dealt with so poorly and cruelly now weigh on her.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2026
Edward cruelly abandons his wife to pursue a wealthy and high-status noblewoman (Bella Heathcote).
—Robert Lang, Deadline, 27 Dec. 2025
In that first year of The Banishment, my father told my mother over the phone that she was not invited to Thanksgiving and cruelly instructed her to drop me off at my grandfather’s house in time for dinner.
—Daisy Rockwell, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2025
Liverpool have only Joe Gomez to turn to after missing out on Marc Guehi and cruelly losing Giovanni Leoni to injury.
—The Athletic's Liverpool Staff, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cruelly
Adverb
-
Indy is also up against a formidable adversary in Detective Inspector Jon Creasy (Parkes), who is determined to get to the truth, despite efforts by his colleague Eddie (Gillen), who is ruthlessly intent on clearing his son’s name.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Nina has no mentor to look up to; Beth, the former prima ballerina played by Winona Ryder, has been ruthlessly excised from the company for being too old.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
12 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
During the War of 1812, the British mercilessly bombarded Fort Henry.—
Gladys Louise Tyler,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
How could someone with such familiar dreams have beaten me so mercilessly only minutes earlier?—
Omid Memarian,
The Atlantic,
25 Jan. 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
-
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
-
The union had bitterly opposed Newsom in his race.—
Maya Singer,
Vogue,
1 Feb. 2026
-
On these bitterly cold winter days, nothing sounds better than defrosting in a sauna.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
1 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 5 Feb. 2026.
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