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 cruelty Boelter has been charged with state and federal crimes, including murder and animal cruelty, and has pleaded not guilty. Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2025 Even the most well-meaning of people have their good intentions curdle into cruelty when reflected through the prism of corporate life. Zachary Lee, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025 But that tale of someone brought into a world that treated him with cruelty and contempt never left him. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025 It’s revealed that Sklar was Lori’s inspiration as a child to become an artist, only to crush that spark a dozen or so years later with stinging cruelty. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cruelty
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cruelty
Noun
  • More Ethan Miller/Getty Images Their history is defined by brutality.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
  • For a country still reckoning with the brutality of its dark past, the trial of several high ranking military officers in a civilian court is a singular achievement.
    Adriana Carranca, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Graphic videos of both atrocities spread quickly and widely online this week, appearing in people's social media feeds, often with little-to-no warning.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Critics have also pointed to the fact that Japanese educational syllabi have long glossed over wartime atrocities like the Nanjing Massacre.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 10 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cruelty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cruelty. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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