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
-
The Pitt’s 15-episode season, simple premise, empathetic performances, and weekly release schedule, combined with a focus on ruthlessly realistic competence, erects a new benchmark for what good TV looks like in the streaming era.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
-
Bijol, whose pace was so ruthlessly exposed at Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest, was protected by Pascal Struijk and Rodon, but had the physicality to battle with Erling Haaland and clear high balls into the box.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
30 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
The film stars Ryan Reynolds as Chris Brander, who returns to his hometown in the prime of his life after being bullied mercilessly throughout high school.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
10 Dec. 2025
-
Gossip Girl centered around a group of wealthy high school students who are being terrorized by a mysterious and vicious blogger (who was voiced by Kristen Bell) who mercilessly spills all of their secrets.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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Things are tough all over everywhere, especially in societies that sell the discreet charms of the bourgeoisie as the dream life, then simply shrug when such comforts are pitilessly snatched away.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
23 Dec. 2025
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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
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Hutton blames callously materialistic white settlers for destroying both the environment and rival civilizations.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Nov. 2025
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Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance comes at a time when the government has antagonized Latino communities, spread anti-Latino rhetoric, and treated immigrants with abject cruelty, callously celebrating images of forceful, often violent arrests and brutal detainments.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
19 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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During the operation, Mexicans were inhumanely crammed into buses, trains, planes, and cargo ships for deportation back to Mexico.—
Cara A. Kinnally,
Time,
15 June 2026
-
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
Adverb
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That leaves the volatile Joanne feeling shut out and bitterly resentful.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
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The German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, desperate to connect with the grandeur of antiquity and left bitterly disappointed by his visit to Rome, eventually arrived in this once-vibrant center of the extended Greek empire.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
Adverb
-
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
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She was always being driven mad by Kubrick, very unkindly.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Cruelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cruelly. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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