crueler or crueller; cruelest or cruellest
1
: disposed to inflict pain or suffering : devoid of humane feelings
a cruel tyrant
has a cruel heart
2
a
: causing or conducive to injury, grief, or pain
a cruel joke
a cruel twist of fate
b
: unrelieved by leniency
cruel punishment
cruelness
noun
Examples of cruel in a Sentence
a cruel twist of fate
Hunger is a cruel fact of nature.
Recent Examples on the Web
That is unacceptably cruel, corrupt, and undemocratic.
—
Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Instead, she was stripped of her bronze medal after a late score inquiry—a ruling that still feels cruel for an athlete who had delivered the performance of her life.
—Essence, 6 Nov. 2025
And there are others who see politics today as too cruel for the flame of hope to still burn.
—Time Video, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
In Sor Juana’s verses, the vicereine is a cruel creature who never reciprocates.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruel
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Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025
Instead, she was stripped of her bronze medal after a late score inquiry—a ruling that still feels cruel for an athlete who had delivered the performance of her life.
—Essence, 6 Nov. 2025
And there are others who see politics today as too cruel for the flame of hope to still burn.
—Time Video, Time, 5 Nov. 2025
In Sor Juana’s verses, the vicereine is a cruel creature who never reciprocates.
—Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cruel
Cite this Entry
“Cruel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cruel. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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