cruel
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
US
crueler
or British
crueller
US
cruelest
or British
cruellest
US
crueler
or British
crueller
US
cruelest
or British
cruellest
Britannica Dictionary definition of CRUEL
[also more cruel; most cruel]
1
— used to describe people who hurt others and do not feel sorry about it
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a cruel dictator/tyrant
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Children can be cruel, as any child who has been made fun of by others knows.
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He says he can't trust people who are cruel to animals.
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a cruel smile [=the smile of a cruel person]
2
:
causing or helping to cause suffering
:
terrible and unfair
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a cruel joke
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It was a very cruel [=hurtful] thing to say.
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I thought it was rather cruel [=unkind] of them to give her all the dirty work.
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a cruel twist of fate
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Hunger is a cruel fact of nature.
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Life has dealt them some cruel blows in recent years. [=some very bad things have happened to them in recent years]
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The law forbids cruel and unusual punishment. [=punishment that is very harsh and inappropriate for the crime]
— cruelly
adverb-
treated cruelly
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He was cruelly beaten.
