cruel

UK: /ˈkruːəl/ US: /ˈkruəl/ ,(kro̅o̅′əl)

Inflections of 'cruel' (adj):

crueler

adj comparative

cruelest

adj superlative

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

cru•el /ˈkruəl/   adj., -er, -est. 

1. willfully causing pain to others:
   people who are cruel to animals.
2. enjoying the pain or distress of others:
   a cruel and selfish tyrant.
3. causing or marked by great pain or distress:
   a cruel war.
4. severe;
   merciless;
   brutal:
   a cruel winter.

cru•el•ly, adv. 
cru•el•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

cru•el  (kro̅o̅′əl), adj., -er, -est. 

1. willfully or knowingly causing pain or distress to others.
2. enjoying the pain or distress of others:
   the cruel spectators of the gladiatorial contests.
3. causing or marked by great pain or distress:
   a cruel remark; a cruel affliction.
4. rigid;
   stern;
   strict;
   unrelentingly severe.

• Latin crūdēlis, equivalent. to crūd(us) (see crude) + -ēlis adjective, adjectival suffix
• Anglo-French, Old French
• Middle English 1175–1225

cru′el•ly, adv. 
cru′el•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. bloodthirsty, ferocious, merciless, relentless.
  Cruel, pitiless, ruthless, brutal, savage imply readiness to cause pain to others.
  Cruel implies willingness to cause pain, and indifference to suffering:
  a cruel stepfather.
  Pitiless adds the idea of refusal to show compassion:
  pitiless to captives.
  Ruthless implies cruelty and unscrupulousness, letting nothing stand in one's way:
  ruthless greed.
  Brutal implies cruelty that takes the form of physical violence:
  a brutal master.
  Savage suggests fierceness and brutality:
  savage battles.

Antonyms

• 1. kind.
• 2. sympathetic, compassionate.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cruel / ˈkruːəl/ adjective

1. causing or inflicting pain without pity
2. causing pain or suffering

verb (cruels, cruelling, cruelled)

(transitive) to cause damage or destruction to (something)

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French, from Latin crūdēlis, from crūdus raw, bloody

ˈcruelly adverb

ˈcruelness noun